Kevin Pirouzbakht 
F block History


     The Byzantine empire and the Islamic Empire had many difference and similarities. Between the empires there is a difference in architecture. The landmark called the Dome of the Rock from the Islamic Empire and the the Hagia Sophia from the Byzantine Empire are just two of many buildings that show the difference in architecture between the two empires. The Hagia Sophia has a dome with a 102 feet diameter, and the Dome of the Rock with only 60 feet diameter. Both made for religious purposes, but the material they were built with and the different architecture used on the two building really how the difference between the empires. The Dome of the Rock and the Hagia Sophia are going to show the differences between the two empires in architecture.

     The Dome of the Rock was a significant mosque built by the Islamic Empire in 691. It was built in the historic city of Jerusalem. It holds the rock from which Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. The Dome of the Rock is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. The Dome of the Rock is located on a rocky field known as Mount Moriah, which is according to Jewish belief where Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. The inscriptions inside the dome glorify Islam as the final true revelation and culmination of  Judaism and Christianity. The dome is actually not a mosque but a ciborium. The Dome of the Rock was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik between 687 and 691. A traditions says that Abd al-Malik was attempting to transfer the Islamic hajj to jerusalem from Mecca. The dome is a 60 foot timber framed double dome that was initially covered with colored and gilded stucco and it was originally roofed with lead covered in gold. The shrine was originally covered by a lead dome from 691 until it was replaced with a gold-colored covering in the early 1960s. Many forms of decoration are used including mosaics, marble, repousse metalwork and coloured glass in the dome. The Dome of the Rock consists of a domed octagonal structure placed in the middle of a raised plaza or enclosure known as the Haram al-Sharif or holy place.

     The Hagia Sophia was completed in 537 for religous purposes. It is located in Constantinople which is present day Istanbul, Turkey. Hagia Sophia is considered one of the finest example of Byzantine architecture in the world. The church of Hagia Sophia was constructed on a scale that is unprecedented in human history. Under the rule of Justinian the Emperor, and with a force of 10,000 workers, the dome above the church of Hagia Sophia was built in a record time that was just five years, ten months, and four days to complete. When construction began, the engineer of Hagia Sophia Anthemius found himself in a geometric fix. How would he build a circular dome above a square base, so Anthemius arrived at a critical solution by building four massive columns at the corner of each square. On top of the columns, Anthemius built four arches. He then filled the spaces between the arches with masonry to create curved triangular shapes called pendentives. The pendentives and tops of the arches combined to form a strong base for the dome. The shallow dome of the Hagia Sophia was made from 40 equally spaced ribs. Forty windows were then set at the dome's base, creating the imagination that the dome actually floated over the church.

Dome of the Rock

• was it built for religious purposes
• what is the religious significance 
• who built it
• when did it finish getting built

What does the building consist of 

• how big is the dome
• what decorations does it have
• what material was used 
• what was the building design

Hagia Sophia

• was it made for religious purposes 
• what year did it finish
• who was the engineer of the project
• did they face challenges building it
• who was the ruler and how many workers did it take to finish the building
• how long did it take

What does the building consist of 

• how big is the dome
• what did they use to hold the dome
• what did they do so the dome looks like it is floating 
• does it have arches and how many
• what was the design of the building

Comparison of the Two

• The different away the buildings were built and constructed show the difference in architecture between the two empires
• Different religion inspired the building of these architecture buildings
• can these two buildings prove how the empires were similar

Bibliography:

"ABOUT DOME OF THE ROCK." Dome of the Rock. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. <http://www.domeoftherock.net/>.

"Dome of the Rock." (BiblePlaces.com). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. <http://www.bibleplaces.com/domeofrock.htm>.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/hagia_sophia.html>.

"Dome of the Rock." Dome of the Rock. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. <http://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.jsp?entry_id=DIA0097>.