Oleg Grabar states that Islam makes “the conscious attempt to relate meaningfully to the conquered word, by Islamizing forms and ideas of old.” By this, he means that, for Islam, it was important to show dominance as a new culture and religion by taking aspects of older cultures and making them “islamic”. This could have been a tactic to relate to past cultures, often that Islam was replacing, but also that were successful in their own time. Instead of creating radically different art and architecture, Islam became more relatable through their appropriation of forms, symbols, and architectural aspects. As Islam became more relatable through visual shows of appropriation, the faith was able to gain more followers and the existing followers were able to more obviously demonstrate the power of Islam.
The way in which Grabar evidences this claim is through three different examples– the desert bath of Qusayr Amrah, The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the city of Baghdad. Focusing the majority of the essay on The Dome of the Rock, Grabar goes into great detail about how the location, decoration, and inscription demonstrate the original intention of this building.
In terms of location, The Dome of the Rock is located at a site that as important to both Christianity and Judaism. By taking over the site and erecting a monument to Islam, the caliphs were able to create a stronger connection with the Jews and Christians in Jerusalem. Through the decoration, The Dome of the Rock became a generally more beautiful and holy site which helped spread the idea that Islam was powerful and desirable. Additionally, many of the motifs were borrowed from past cultures such as the Sassanians and the Byzantines. By taking these motifs and altering them slightly, Islam became associated with past, powerful cultures. Finally, with the inscription, Islam proclaimed its importance, spreading the word about how it was superior when compared to Christianity in hopes of converting more people and increasing the power of Islam.
Although Grabar talks specifically about only three examples, he alludes to, with the original statement, the fact that Islam used cultural appropriation and modification to increase their power and the likelihood of converting others throughout the empire. Ultimately, I agree with Grabar’s statement.
Oleg Grabar states that Islam makes “the conscious attempt to relate meaningfully to the conquered word, by Islamizing forms and ideas of old.” By this, he means that, for Islam, it was important to show dominance as a new culture and religion by taking aspects of older cultures and making them “islamic”. This could have been a tactic to relate to past cultures, often that Islam was replacing, but also that were successful in their own time. Instead of creating radically different art and architecture, Islam became more relatable through their appropriation of forms, symbols, and architectural aspects. As Islam became more relatable through visual shows of appropriation, the faith was able to gain more followers and the existing followers were able to more obviously demonstrate the power of Islam.
The way in which Grabar evidences this claim is through three different examples– the desert bath of Qusayr Amrah, The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the city of Baghdad. Focusing the majority of the essay on The Dome of the Rock, Grabar goes into great detail about how the location, decoration, and inscription demonstrate the original intention of this building.
In terms of location, The Dome of the Rock is located at a site that as important to both Christianity and Judaism. By taking over the site and erecting a monument to Islam, the caliphs were able to create a stronger connection with the Jews and Christians in Jerusalem. Through the decoration, The Dome of the Rock became a generally more beautiful and holy site which helped spread the idea that Islam was powerful and desirable. Additionally, many of the motifs were borrowed from past cultures such as the Sassanians and the Byzantines. By taking these motifs and altering them slightly, Islam became associated with past, powerful cultures. Finally, with the inscription, Islam proclaimed its importance, spreading the word about how it was superior when compared to Christianity in hopes of converting more people and increasing the power of Islam.
Although Grabar talks specifically about only three examples, he alludes to, with the original statement, the fact that Islam used cultural appropriation and modification to increase their power and the likelihood of converting others throughout the empire. Ultimately, I agree with Grabar’s statement.
This is fine but could be a little more clearly organized. Your last paragraph sums up Grabar nicely.