Islamic Art, Architecture, and Heritage
Forms and Vocabulary
Know the core architectural elements: the mihrab (prayer niche), minbar (pulpit), minaret, qibla orientation, iwan (vaulted hall), sahn (courtyard), muqarnas (stalactite vaulting), and the pishtaq (portal). Understand the hypostyle mosque (Great Mosque of Cordoba, Kairouan), the four-iwan plan (Friday Mosque of Isfahan), and the domed central plan (Taj Mahal, Selimiye).
Decorative Arts
Master calligraphy (Kufic, Naskh, Thuluth), arabesque (vegetal), geometry, and tilework (Iznik, Kashan). Know the prohibition debates around figural imagery and the aniconic tendency in religious settings. Understand manuscript illumination and bookbinding.
Regional Heritage
Know the Umayyad desert palaces (Mshatta, Qusayr Amra), Abbasid Samarra, Fatimid Cairo, Mamluk architecture in Cairo, Timurid Samarkand, Ottoman Sinan's works, Mughal architecture (Fatehpur Sikri, Humayun's Tomb, Taj Mahal), and Indo-Islamic features such as the chhatri and jali.
Traps
Questions often misattribute the four-iwan plan to a single region or confuse muqarnas with muqabla. Another trap is assuming all Islamic art is aniconic; secular and courtly figural art existed. Do not confuse Kufic (angular) with Naskh (cursive).
Rule of Thumb
Identify the plan first (hypostyle, four-iwan, domed), then the region, then the dynasty. Example: a four-iwan courtyard with tilework suggests Iran (Seljuk or Safavid), not Mughal India.