What were buildings like in the early Islamic civilisation?

How were buildings designed in the early Islamic civilisation?

The Malwiya Minaret. — Image caption,
The Malwiya Minaret was built in the 9th century in the city of Samarra. It was part of the Great Mosque of Samarra which was the largest mosque in the world at the time.

In the early Islamic civilisation, buildings were both comfortable and beautiful.

Houses were built of mudbrick with courtyards, thick walls and flat roofs to stay cool.

Important buildings such as mosques (places of worship), palaces and libraries were decorated with colourful tiles, arches, minarets and Arabic calligraphy (beautiful writing).

Important words

Important words on what buildings were like in the early Islamic Civilisation.

Keyword	Definition
Calligraphy	Writing letters in a beautiful and fancy way.
Courtyard	Open space in the middle of a house with a garden or fountain.
Minarets	Tall towers on a mosque used to call people to prayer.
Mosque	A place of worship.
Mudbrick	A brick made from mud and straw, that is dried in the sun.
Traders	People who buy or sell things.

What did buildings look like?

A colourful patterned wall in a mosque. — Image caption,
Walls in homes and mosques were decorated with colourful patterns like this one.

Important buildings like mosques (place of worship), palaces and libraries were decorated with colourful tiles.

The tiles were bright blue, green and white and arranged in patterns.

Some buildings also had calligraphy, which is fancy writing, with words from the holy book, the Qur’an.

Mosques had tall towers called minarets. These were used to call people to prayers.

Doors and windows were often made in the shape of arches. These made buildings look elegant.

What was Baghdad like in AD900?

An illustration of the old city of Baghdad — Image caption,
An illustration of how the old city of Baghdad may have looked like around AD900.

Caliph Al-Mansur ordered the building of Baghdad between AD762 and AD767.

By AD900, Baghdad was one of the biggest and most important cities in the world. It was the capital of the Islamic Empire.

Baghdad was known as the Round City because it was built in a circle.

It had four gates leading into the city.

Important buildings like the House of Wisdom and Caliph’s Palace were in the centre of the city. The House of Wisdom was a huge learning centre where people studied.

Image caption,
The courtyard of the Abbasid Palace in Baghdad, Iraq.

The city was world famous as being a centre of learning with libraries, schools and even a hospital.

There were around 1 million people living in Baghdad by AD900.

This made it the largest city in the world at the time.

The streets were full of souks (markets) where traders (people who buy and sell things) sold food, spices, clothes and goods from different countries.

What were houses like?

A photo of mudbrick homes in Al Qasr, Egypt. — Image caption,
Mudbrick homes like these in Al Qasr, Egypt were common in early Baghdad.

Houses were built of mudbrick (a brick made of mud and straw), stone or clay.

The walls were thick and the ceilings high. This kept houses cool in the hot weather.

Inside, houses had a courtyard (open space in the middle), often with a garden or fountain.

Families would cook, play and meet guests in the courtyard.

People used charcoal ovens to bake bread.

Wooden screens over windows helped to keep houses cool. They let air inside while keeping the sun’s heat out.

Houses were decorated with textiles (cloths) on the walls, screens and pottery.

Families sat on carpets or low platforms which could be rolled out when needed.

Think like a historian

A thought bubble saying 'Thinking points'.

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

What made Islamic buildings special compared to other buildings of the time?
Why were houses built with thick walls and high ceilings and what difference did it make?
Why was it important that Baghdad was built in the shape of a circle?