An Infadel in Dar al-Harb

The architectural history class I'm taking is taught by a professor Morton, a new teacher this semseter I've mentioned a few times. Here is his asu credentials page. I've never seen a teacher, especially a teacher of architectural history, galvenize students like this guy. We attend his lectures. We study for his exams. His exams are the most physcally demanding, in terms of writing, that I've taken in college. And he grades really really hard. What's really captivating about the course is that he is incredibly knowlegeable and enthusiastic about what he's talking about (which is, I suppose, the difference between a professor of architecture and an architectural historian). He gets so excited sometimes he can hardly contain himself. I've never seen someone use such gesturing in discussing something so old. He gets dewy-eyed at the discussion of the fall of Rome.

Anyway, I mention him because we have another paper to write for him, and unlike all of our other classes people are actually doing research far in advance and working hard on this project, me included. We had a choice of four topics, and I, knowing nothing about Islamic architecture, choose that paper.

The paper is actually a comparison and analysis of two chapters on Islamic architecture in two different books. We have to decide which one is better, and why, and moreover, form a thesis on some salient point or theme shared bythe chapters and discuss that as well. This means I had to check out six books on Islamic architecture to be able to better evaluate the exploratory chapters. In my readings, the history of Islam is also discussed, as it forms an integral part of the architecture. How would one be able to understand a gothic cathedral without knowlege of Christianity?

It's a facinating and ferice history on an incredible timetable. In 622 AD, Mohammad (the man who started the whole thing) was forced to flee Mecca for trying to propagate his new religion. In 661, less than 40 years later, the armies of Islam had taken the entire middle east. By 711, they were halted outside of France, having taken almost all Spain and north Africa.

A religion was founded, converted millions, and unified the nomadic warring tribes and the eastern city-dwellers. The armies of not one but two major global powers were beaten. Constantinople, the last breath of ancient Rome, was taken. Europe was forced away the Mediterranian, and moved north where its new centers flourished. All this was done within 100 years. How?

Mohammad was a clever man. In Medina, he began a small community based on a constitution (undoutbly derived from the Koran) which was revolutionary for the time and location. He preached in the courtyard of his house. As his religion spread, he adopted older religious customs such as the Ka'ba (allegedly built by Adam and later by Abraham) and the pilgrimage to Mecca. He appealed to the Jews who ran the city by making his adherants pray to Jerusalem (another site holy to many religions) in the early years. After he died without naming a sucessor, his adherants split into two factions: one which favored a near relative, and one which favored Mohammad's aide-de-camp. These became the sunni and shiite. They are the only division within Islam.

One reason why Islam stayed so strong was probaby a result of that strict unity. In fact, Islam means submission (to allah). One submits in every way, praying five times a day, fighting holy wars, making the religiosity near total in everyday life. Theres simply no room for arguing over how one should pray, whether or not saints should be recognized, or deciding who should be in the clergy. There is no religious heirarchy in Islam.

Conversion became the major focus. How major? They divided the world into two parts: dar al-Islam (the seat of Islam) and dar al-Harb (the seat of War).

Anyway, the middle east was a major nexus of the global trade route, the Byzantine and Sassarian officials had a booming buisiness, and the nomadic middle eastern tribes were kept in check by fighting each other all the time. Islam unified the tribes under a common banner. The residents of the desert outpost towns were more than happy to welcome the conquering armies as 1) they were sick of the corruption of the local Byzantine rulers and 2) they were happy to see historical kinship take power from the Contstantinople-based Byzantines.

The occupational strategey was good: As the Arabs had no political or governing structure for urban cities, they left all the Christian government officials in place. In terms of religion, you could either convert or pay a tax. Given that Islam holds the merchant as the highest social ideal, many powerful people converted.

That's another really interesting comparison between the two religions. While Christ said that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven, Mohammad commented that a coin is worth more when it's earned by a merchant.

Anyway, enough of history for tonight. Chase (the guy I hiked through Europe with) has finally broken down and started a blog documenting his adventure sports start-up in Boulder, CO. His blog is here.