Many different cultures use art and architecture in many ways. Some cultures use it to design sacred spaces. Two works that incorporate this ideal would be the Taj Mahal in Ara, India and the Hagai Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.
Taj Mahal is located in Ara, India and was created dating all the way back to times between 1632-1653, it is a Muslim sacred space. Taj Mahal is said to be “The jewel of Muslim art”, a white marble domed complex structure mausoleum. The Mausoleum was built by Mugal emporer Shan Jahan to commemorate his beloved third wife in an elaborate way. The gold that was replaced by a copy of the original bronze gives an example of the Hindu and Persian decorative elements. The moon is very popular throughout Islam and is placed on the top of the Taj Mahal as a common motif. The minarets visible influence symmetry and show traditional elements of a mosque. Readings from the Quara’n are as well present throughout, this is a one of a kind sacred space.
Hagia Sohia representing Christianity dating back to 532-537 CE, was refurbished in the 15th Century in Istanbul, Turkey. When the Turks made Constantinople their capitol, they converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This ruined many Turkish peoples ideas and caused them to suffer a great loss. The Hagia Sophia influences Christianity in many subtle ways. The Hagia Sophia presently has a longer layout than most of which were present in churches until Justinian changed them. With the 40 windows shown throughout, a halo-like shape is reflected when light hits them.
When studying the Hagia Sophia you see there are two holy trinities. These are the Holy Trinity of Christ, and the twelve windows representing the number of apostles that were present at the last supper of Christ, according to the Bible. Hagia Sophia and the Taj Mahal are two very important sacred spaces throughout the Muslim and Christian cultures.
The Taj Mahal would be a great choice for the sacred space because it was never explicitly constructed for religion. Since it was constructed for the favorite woman of the shah at the time, it would be interesting to contrast the different styles of the Taj Mahal to the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia is the prototype for a religious structure. So contrasting such drastically different structures would make for a good comparison.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your choices of sacred places, especially Hagia Sophia.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a good idea to include how Hagia Sophia as a mosque became sacred to Turks.