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Scott Foresman Social Studies
of the Middle Ages
Fascinating Facts
•
The model on which the Dome of the Rock was based is called
the Dome of the Chain. It still stands in the shadow of the
full-sized mosque.
•
The Chinese in the medieval world believed that the emperor’s
palace marked the center of both the country and the entire
universe.
•
European castle designs grew more elaborate and complex as
the weapons of potential attackers became more sophisticated.
Genre
Comprehension Skill
Text Features
Nonfi ction Sequence
• Captions
• Sidebars
Scott Foresman Social Studies
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ISBN 0-328-14935-7
by Tammy Zambo
The Architecture
As people in the medieval world engaged in trade, they
shared not only goods but also methods for doing things.
Among the methods they shared were techniques for
building places of worship, along with both elaborate
and simple houses. Even so, buildings in different parts
of the world retained many features that were unique
to their cultures. In this book you will learn why people
in medieval Asia, Africa, and Europe built particular
structures the way they did and how these buildings
affected their lives.
The Architecture
of the Middle Ages
Vocabulary
mosque
caliph
monk
pilgrimage
monarch
knight
cathedral
by Tammy Zambo
ISBN: 0-328-14935-7
Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New York
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the
United States of America. This publication or parts thereof, may be used with appropriate
equipment to reproduce copies for classroom use only.
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Coppell, Texas • Ontario, California • Mesa, Arizona
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
The Spread of Cultures
Throughout the Middle Ages, people from every direction interacted
with each other through the trade of goods. Their interactions resulted
in the spread of ideas and religions. In this way, Islam spread widely
through early Arabia, and Muslims built
mosques
for their worship.
The Dome of the Rock
One of the mosques that Muslims today consider holiest, the
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel, was built in the Middle Ages.
The rock on which the Dome of the Rock rests is sacred not only to
Muslims, but also to Jews and Christians, because it is the site on which
important Jewish temples once stood. To Muslims it is holy because
they believe that Muhammad ascended to heaven from this site.
The Dome of the Rock has changed very little
since it was built, between about 687 and 691.
The great dome of the Dome of the Rock is held up with
arches supported by columns and piers. The mosque is
built around the rock itself, which is exposed.
A Holy Destination
The Dome of the Rock was built by a Muslim
caliph
, or successor
to Muhammad, by the name of Abd al-Malik, who wanted to construct
a spectacular mosque that would draw large numbers of Muslims to
Jerusalem. Abd al-Malik wanted the mosque to be perfect, so he had
an entirely separate mosque built first as a model near the primary site.
Only when Abd al-Malik approved of the model mosque did building
on the Dome of the Rock begin.
The Romans had already perfected the use of arches and had used
them to build other domed buildings. Still, this shape was not at all
common for mosques at the time that the Dome of the Rock was
constructed. The architects followed the Romans’ practice of building
the dome on a base with eight sides. To strengthen the base sufficiently,
they used a series of arches that spanned columns and other supports
called piers.
2
3
A Lasting Treasure
The interior of the Dome of the Rock is divided by three rings of
marble columns and piers. The innermost ring encircles the exposed
sacred rock itself, instead of a floor. The two outer rings provide
walkways along the eight sides of the outer wall. Entrances in four
of these sides correspond to the four directions of a compass. All the
elements of the mosque were carefully designed using mathematics so
that the building would reflect balance and harmony. In addition nearly
every surface was elaborately decorated to dazzle the worshippers.
The exterior of the building was also magnificent. The walls were
constructed of marble and embellished with rich mosaics featuring a
variety of colors. The dome itself was initially covered in gold. Today’s
dome is covered with gold-plated aluminum, a more durable material.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony
Another great feat of medieval architecture is the Hall of Supreme
Harmony. This is the most important building in the imperial palace,
or the Forbidden City, in Beijing, China. It is also one of the largest
medieval Chinese buildings still in existence. This building, completed
in 1420, housed the emperor’s throne and was used for grand public
ceremonies, such as his ascension to the throne, his announcements
of war and peace, and celebrations of his birthday and wedding day
and New Year’s Day.
In the vast courtyard in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in China’s Forbidden
City, twenty thousand people could pay their respects to the emperor.
Islamic Art
The early Muslims lavishly decorated public buildings such as the
Dome of the Rock. However, they usually did not create representations
of human beings or animals in their art.
Instead, they depicted plants and other
vegetation, or they used geometric shapes
and patterns along with a variety of colors.
Another prominent feature of Islamic
art is calligraphy. At the Dome of the Rock,
calligraphy inside the dome tells the story of
Muhammad’s ascension to heaven from the
rock below. Verses from the Quran appear in
calligraphy on the outside of the dome.
The interior of the dome is decorated
with calligraphy and mosaics featuring
a great deal of gold.
4
5
An Emperor’s Realm
Many features of the hall’s grand exterior symbolize concepts that
were important to the Chinese. For example, the building itself faces
south, toward the sun, to show honor and respect. The yellow roof tiles
are a color that was reserved exclusively for the emperor. The carved
figurines on each end of the roof ’s main ridge are dragons, which
represent the emperor. Each dragon is 11 feet (3.3 meters) high and
weighs 4.3 tons. It was thought that the two dragons would guard the
building from fire because they were believed to have the ability to
gather clouds and make rain.
Despite the presence of the protecting dragons, the Hall of Supreme
Harmony burned down less than a year after it was finished. It was
rebuilt three times, each time only to burn down again. The present
hall, which preserves the original style, was built in 1695.
The interior of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is as impressive as the
exterior. The floor area of the hall is the size of nine tennis courts. The
golden throne gleams on an elevated platform. Twenty-four giant pillars
support the roof above the throne. Each one is 41.5 feet (12.5 meters)
high and 3.5 feet (1.1 meters) in diameter. The six pillars closest to the
throne are plated with gold, and the rest are painted red. The throne
itself, like the hall as a whole, faces south.
Dragons are abundant in the interior decoration. The throne has
carvings of them. They are depicted on every inch of the six golden
columns, and they are painted on the walls. Even on the ceiling, a
central design features two dragons playing with another symbol,
pearls. Pearls were believed to protect the emperor’s power.
The emperor’s throne is the
centerpiece of the Hall of
Supreme Harmony.
6
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