Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Deccan, Gol Gumbaz, India
birka
Arabic term for tank, reservoir or cistern.
blazon
Decorative device or symbol used in Mamluk architecture
to denote particular amirs or military dignitaries.
The earliest blazons were circular shields containing
a simple symbol. Later these became complex
designs divided into three fields with a variety of
symbols used to denote different offices (i.e. a napkin
represents the master of the robes and a pen box
represents the secretary). The earliest example of a
blazon was found in the tomb of Sheikh Iliyas in
Gaza dated to 1272. Blazons are not used after the
Ottoman conquest of 1517.
Further reading:
W.Leaf, ‘Not trousers but trumpets: a further look at
Saracenic heraldry’, 
Palestine Exploration Quarterly,
1982.
L.A.Mayer, 
Saracenic Heraldry,
Oxford 1933.
Bosnia
Independent state in south-eastern Europe, previously
constituting part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia

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Islam was introduced to Bosnia by the Ottoman
Turks although it later became the religion of a large
proportion of the native Bosnian population. The
first Turkish invasion of Bosnia was in 1386 and by
1389 after the battle of Kosovo the Bosnian rulers
had accepted Turkish suzerainty. In 1463 the
Bosnian king Stjepan Tomasevic failed to pay tribute
to the Ottomans resulting in a further invasion of
Bosnia. By 1512, with the conquest of the district of
Sebrenik, all Bosnia had been incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire. After the conquest there was
large-scale Islamization which appears to have
spread from the towns outwards. During the
seventeenth century Bosnia served as a base for the
conquest of Hungary whilst during the eighteenth
century it became a border area between the Austro-
Hungarian and Ottoman empires. In 1878 Bosnia
was invaded by the Austro-Hungarian army after
the Turks had been forced to leave under the terms
of the Congress of Berlin. After the First World War
Bosnia was incorporated into the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia until 1992 when it became an
independent state.
In general Ottoman buildings in Bosnia reflect the
imperial architecture of Istanbul, Bursa and Edirne
although there are also elements of a local style. This
style seems to have been partly developed by
Dalmatian builders from Dubrovnik who were hired
to construct some of the monumental buildings. One
characteristic of Dalmatian building is the use of small
cut stones instead of the bricks more commonly used
in Ottoman architecture. Another notable feature of
Bosnian architecture is the use of squinches instead
of the triangular pendentives more common in
Turkish architecture.
Four main periods of Islamic architecture have
been identified. The first period which begins with
the Turkish conquest is characterized by the
founding of cities such as the capital Sarajevo, Banja
Luka and Mostar. Also during this period many
public buildings and mosques were founded by the
Turkish governors and aristocracy. Important
buildings from the sixteenth century in Sarajevo
include Ghazi Khusraw Bey Cami, the 
Ali Pasha
Cami and the Brusa Bedestan. During the second
period, in the seventeenth century, the patronage
of buildings was mostly by local merchants and
includes khans, bath houses and mescits although
some imperial buildings were erected such as the
Tekke of Hajji Sinan in Sarajevo (1640). During the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (the third
period) there was increased European influence in
the architecture as well as fashions imported from
Istanbul. An interesting phenomenon is the
development of the town of Trevnik as the official
residence of the Ottoman vizier. Under the Austro-
Hungarian Empire a fourth period can be
distinguished which was characterized by an
attempt to build non-Turkish Islamic architecture.
Many of the buildings of this period were built in
‘Moorish Style’, the most famous example of which
is Sarajevo Town Hall.