Islamic Architecture and Material Culture in South Asia (U02952)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-3-HIslamArc

The Taj Mahal has become a worldwide symbol of India and romantic love but "behind" the Taj are literally thousands of buildings of other periods and functions, built by Muslims in South Asia yet often hardly known and certainly little researched.

Muslim settlement in South Asia goes back to the very start of Islam and the establishment of Muslim control over Sind, now in Pakistan, in the early 8th century. From this period onwards Muslims have been present across South Asia, sometimes this presence has been as part of a Muslim state or even empire but often Muslims have been present as "minority" communities within Hindu or Buddhist states. Whatever the nature of their presence, Muslims were active patrons of architecture and material culture leaving South Asia with one of the largest bodies of Muslim built heritage in the world.

This course offers an introduction to the rich variety of Islamic architectural traditions in South Asia from the 8th century to the present, and to the major issues and methodological problems that face this area of study. The course will cover some of the following areas: the influence of materials and patterns of survival on the "construction" of architectural history; urban planning and mosque architecture in Sind; architecture of Muslim trading communities in coastal South Asia; Ghurid architecture and stone carving in the late 12th to 13th centuries and its Afghan connections; architecture of the Delhi Sultanate; traditions of brick and timber architecture in Gujarat and Pakistani Punjab; interpreting and analysing indigenous (Hindu and Jaina) influences in the architecture of Gujarat and Bengal; patronage and practice at Sufi shrines in the Deccan; links between Safavid Iran and the Deccan Sultanates; Mughal architecture and garden design; Islamic material culture and contemporary Indian politics; contemporary challenges in the conservation of Islamic built heritage.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass in either History of Art 2 or Architectual History 2a and 2b

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Islamic Architecture and Material Culture in South Asia(VS1) (Not being delivered)

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History of Art, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Friday	11:10	12:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Seminars will take place on Fridays, 1400-1550 and 1610-1800. Students will attend one of these.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

After completion of the course students will be able to demonstrate:

- knowledge and understanding of selected areas of Islamic architecture and material culture in South Asia
- awareness of the different sources relevant to this subject area
- an awareness of the contexts, concepts, values, debates and critical theories relevant to the subject area
- the ability to observe and describe the Islamic architecture and material culture of South Asia using a specific and appropriate language

The following non-subject specific skills will also be developed further:

- the ability to source, navigate, select, retrieve, evaluate, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources
- the ability to articulate ideas and convey information comprehensibly in oral and written form
- the ability to question and explain texts and visual material