Islamic

Many radically different architectural styles came into popularity during the Islamic design period.  Islam began to spread throughout Europe, from Spain to Turkey and also in India. Some of the architectural features that can be found in most mosques, even to this day, include the horseshoe arch, ogival arch, and muqarnas-filled niches and domes. Islam also differed in the art that was popular. Unlike Christianity, Islamic arc focused on geometric designs and almost no representational art can be found from that period.

I was really impressed by the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed. Mosques are exquisitely decorated and extremely detailed, especially this one. There are over 20,000 handmade tiles, 50 different tulip designs, and 200 stained glass windows. That is amazing and looking at pictures of the interior I cannot even imagine what it would be like to see that in person. I find all the little details very interesting and I love how it all comes together to form a cohesive look even though there are so many different things going on.

Another mosque that I found extremely interesting is the Taj Mahal. I had heard of it before but had never heard the story behind its construction and design. It is a huge complex and a massive structure and the fact that it was built as a tomb for his deceased wife is just amazing. I never realized that the entire exterior was covered in geometric designs, I always assumed that it was plain white stone, but seeing pictures of it up close I cannot believe the time and patience it must have taken to get all that design exactly right. 

Islamic design is still very popular today, in both interior design and textile design. 

Wallpaper featuring a horseshoe arch motif

Textile fabric featuring the same type of motif

This is a table lamp featuring a muqarnas design

Horseshoe arches, the colors, and the materials all exemplify modern Islamic design

This interior has great detail, again the materials used give a sense of Islamic design, and the geometric design over the windows also signifies Islamic inspiration