Impact of Byzantine and Sassanian Cultures on Umayyad - Essay Example

? Impact of Byzantine and Sassanian cultures on Umayyad secular architecture and decoration Impact of Byzantine and Sassanian cultures on Umayyad secular architecture and decoration 1.0. Introduction The history of Islamic art is largely reliant on the Sassanian and Roman Byzantine empires (Blair & Bloom, 2009). In an endeavor to study and assess the background of Islam culture, it is of great value that we learn its art and structural designs. Irwin (1997) is of the opinion that the ascend of the Islam culture has been accredited to its vast emphasis and attention on its region that gradually influenced the present-day Islamic art. Previous to the ascend of the Islam culture in the earliest ADS- 5th and 6th Centuries- the persons, according to Blair & Bloom (2009) who lived in the Arab peninsula, had a main responsibility in shaping the present day Islam art. The then inhabitants of the Arab peninsula are comprehensive of the Byzantine in the Northwest whilst the Sassanian Empire was situated in the North East (Blair & Bloom, 2009). This paper shall evaluate the surfacing of the Islam world in relation to the Sassanian and Byzantine Empires, via an examination of the then cultures, the adjustments and adoption of the same to the Islam world. The paper shall also attempt to give clear instances such as Qusayr Al-Hayr East, Khirbat Al Mafjar, and Qusayr Amra amongst others. 2.0. The Byzantine Empire This empire as seen in the thoughts compiled by Ekhtiar (2011) was born out of the Roman Empire, and had Constantinople as its midpoint. The empire comprised of the Balkans - Palestine, Syrians, Egyptians, and Asia minors- and had Christianity as its major faith (Blair & Bloom, 2009). Nevertheless, the empire was also open to a Jewish population and other Christian sects. In relation to art, the empire has strong Roman roots that saw the empire have a great influence from pagan classical inheritance (Blair & Bloom, 2009). A great percentage of the religious art mostly majored on classical, mythological concepts and pagan decorative imagery that were mostly religious based Ekhtiar (2011). Ekhtiar (2011) continues to indicate that prior to the emergence of Islam; the then church in Byzantine Empire was Hagia- at the Constantinople- and was decorated with religious gravestones, which later on acted as a great inspiration to Islamic works. The then emperor, Justinian reconstructed the city of Antioch at Syria by dividing it into streets, by constructing sewers, fountains, and water channels (Ekhtiar, 2011). At the same time, the emperor built baths, theaters and other buildings to a great city (Ekhtiar, 2011). However, with time the city faced frequent tests ranging from inadequate funds to develop the city, but one would argue that the broad avenues and ‘modern’ buildings replaced the classical monuments and the general lifestyle of the town life (Blair & Bloom, 2009). On the other hand, Ekhtiar (2011) indicates that the Sassanian Empire was also developing gradually to urban civilization. 3.0. The Sassanian Empire Founded in the 208-40 AD by Ardashir, the empire became Rome Byzantine’s empire major challenger (Irwin, 1997). The empire stretches to the Far East from the Indus and Oxis rivers, and had had numerous conflicts with the Byzantine at the time of Justinian rule (Irwin, 1997). In the compilation of Irwin (1997), the empire is said to practice the Zoroaster faith, though the Manichaenism was gaining root in the territory as well which used paintings to explain its message as seen in the Islam art, by its founder Mani (Irwin, 1997). The Sassanian is said to have a huge relationship with the Byzantine architecture, an explanation of the type of drinking cups used by the Sassanian portray a huge percentage of Dionysian imagery (Irwin, 1997).The Sassanian also used the scrolling vine from the Byzantine art, and the same is replicated in the then Islamic culture. The Sassanians are also indicated to have their motifs as the peacock, the winged crown and the palm that were incorporated into the assortment of the decorative motifs by the Byzantine Empire (Irwin, 1997). 4.0. The Byzantine and Sassanian heritage in Islamic Art An analysis of the work of Irwin (1997) clearly depicts that Islamic art is largely based on the Byzantine and Sassanian empires. In actuality, Irwin (1997) indicates that Islamic art is a continuation of the two empires. First, it is evident that in the Islamic culture, there was major symbolism of the living things until the time when the Muslims opted for the use of geometry and other forms of representation. It is said that even in the Byzantine Empire, there was the decline in the use of portraits of beings (Irwin, 1997). This led to a major decline in the making of sculptures, but a lot of experimentation began with the use of ornaments and laces, that was seen in the Umayyad palaces in places such as Damascus (Irwin, 1997). In relation to architecture, the Byzantine Empire played a huge role in the shaping of Islamic art. As seen in the argument by Irwin (1997) the archetypal constructions and fixtures of the Muslim mosque were largely reliant on Byzantine patterns. A good example is the mihrab that had its forerunners in the niche of the Byzantine secular architecture (Irwin, 1997). The minbar, the Muslim pulpit had a great relationship with the Byzantine ambo as well as the Byzantine kathisma-royal box (Irwin, 1997). The desert places of the Islamic Umayyad dynasty in the 7thand 8th centuries of the Syrian empire can in actuality be said to be Roman villas yet they were Islamic (Irwin, 1997). This is to mean that the Umayyad has a huge relationship with the Byzantine Empire. The features of the Byzantine church were also borrowed from the Byzantine Empire; especially the dimensions of the church that entailed about 12 inches were borrowed by the Muslim architecture (Irwin, 1997). The Sassanian on the other hand greatly influenced the early Islamic culture of the then Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. In the compilation by Talgam (2004) it is evident that the Sassanian silver dishes were common features of the leaders that were involved in a feast, hunting or drinking. The Muslims also painted their cups and other ornaments just like the Sassanians did; thus, a tangible evidence of the influence in the Islam culture (Irwin, 1997). As argued by Talgam (2004), the influence of the Byzantine and Sassanian Empire can greatly be seen in various work arts. In his work, the author indicates that the stonework and stuccowork of Khirbat al-Mafjar, responsible for the grills and balustrades of palaces (Talgam, 2004). This includes the stone decorations of the gate houses, the facades of the palaces and the double niche heads in the big halls of the bath houses (Talgam, 2004). The stucco decorations on the facade of the bath house and in the palace’s entry hall and the stone ornamentation, and different carvings in the bath halls are yet other good examples. In the groups of work arts, it is evident as Talgam (2004) says that a lot of Sassanian influence is the major stylistic domain that is common in the works of art, that were largely borrowed from Iraq led by a Moslem ruler. The Coptic artists involved in the decoration of the Khirbat al-Mafjar were earlier trained in the Umayyad building project (Irwin, 1997). Additionally at Qasr al-Hayr west, the then artists had facade decorations in plenty and openwork in the handrails and windows as Talgam (2004) indicates. The same was also used in the symbolic sculptures of the facade entrance structure facing the courtyard (Talgam, 2004). This was purely linked to the influence of the Sassanian influence and was probably made successful due to the inclusion of the Byzantine artists in play, who also greatly relied on Sassanian traditions and style of portraying art. Yet another group of the Qasr al-Hayr had a western outlook but reflects Byzantine classism and were it not for the Byzantine influence, the same would not have been possible (Talgam, 2004). Though the author argues that Qasr-al Hayr is better that the Khirbat al-Mafjar since it entails models and masterpieces from an artist of another culture, the main aspect concerned in this work is that the Byzantine diversity of art made the same possible, and that the same is a conception of the Umayyad period – that included Palmyran art, modifications in material and frameworks (Talgam, 2004). A discussion of the Mshatta explains the uniformity in the ornamented facade and the fact that the same is not based on Iraqi influence, but on Byzantine art- N. Syria, Coptic art and N. Mesopotamia (Talgam, 2004). In a nutshell, one would argue that after a short while, the similarities of these forms of art are largely based on the Umayyad art, which is a clear indication of artistic style that has a clear character. This art is also evident in the endless plant and geometric patterns, grills, 3-dimensional sculptures at Khirbat al-Mafjar and Qasr al-Hayr, and niche heads (Talgam, 2004). The Umayyad palaces in question are also largely based on an amalgamation of artistic traditions. The wall works of art of the Qusayr Amra are yet another case in point of the Umayyad work of art (Talgam, 2004). The author carries on to argue that the structure dated 705-715AD comprises of wall paintings that have an imaginative approach that express the Khirbat al-Mafjar and Mshatta (Talgam, 2004). The manner of exhibit of the human figures in the wall paintings is greatly related to the Byzantine art (Talgam, 2004). Talgam (2004) continues to say that Sassanian art has been rented on a great mile, whilst the Byzantine art is the major base that comes into play with the Moslem fine art. In actuality, Talgam (2004) is of the view that it is not an replicated copy of the arts of the then times, but Umayyad is simply an amalgamation of the elements of Byzantine local art, just like seen by the local artists of the Qasr al-Hayr West and Khirbat Al- Mafjar who explained the Sassanian experience. In simple terms, stylistic sources of Qasr al-Hayr West was solely based on the Byzantine art of the time that in turn allowed the local artists work in numerous styles in the Qasr al-Hayr West (Irwin, 1997). 5.0. Conclusion In conclusion, it is apparent that merging of the Umayyad tradition- sculptures has the Sassanian traditions as a vivid aspect in the tradition. It is also clear that Arabian art was limited in Umayyad sculptural art to indicate that Islam was restricted in capacity and greatly relied on the Byzantine and Sassanian works of art. It is at the pre-Islamic epoch therefore that the Arabs that had minimal contribution to the formation of Islamic art and their link with the Sassanian and Rome- Byzantine cultural traditions led to the bloom of the Umayyad art. In the search for Umayyad sculpture and art, the same is not unique and has its realms of decorative compositions and aspects, ornamental motifs on the Byzantine classism and Sassanian fashions. Notable examples of human figures include Khirbat al-Mafjar and Mshatta. On another note the Umayyad art can be described as a post-modernism of the late ancient times, with a wide range of artistic customs and interactions between the various cultures. As Umayyad embraced the changes, it is also noted that Byzantine Classism also urbanized, as well as the Sassanian Empire. From the paper, it is also evident that there was non-representation of living beings in Islamic art, but vegetal decoration instead. In architecture, the cultural inheritance of the Byzantine is evident from the models and fixtures of the Muslim mosques. The Islamic dynasty can in this case not ignore the contributions made by the two empires to their ‘novel’ selves. One would argue that were it not for the intrusion of the two empires in the world of the Umayyads, they would largely behind the present day contributions to works of art. From the discussion therefore, it is warranted to argue that the impact of the impact of Byzantine and Sassanian cultures on Umayyad secular architecture and its decoration cannot be ignored, as the same is replicated in the Umayyad works of art such as the buildings- palaces, bath houses, amongst other works of art. References Blair, S., & Bloom, J., 2009. The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture: Delhi to Mosque. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ekhtiar, M., 2011. Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. London: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Irwin, R., 1997. From Islamic Art in Context: Art, Architecture, and the Literary World. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Talgam, R., 2004. The Stylistic Origins of Umayyad Sculpture and Architectural Decoration: Text. London: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. Bibliography Yalman, S., 2001. Based on original work by Linda Komaroff. "The Art of the Umayyad Period (661–750)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/umay/hd_umay. Accessed on 22nd April, 2013. Read More