Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated information and links to other sites.

Allow a week or less for this chapter. However, it would be useful to check the College Board Web site early in the school year to determine what the topics will be that year for the 30-minute essay question that requires the inclusion of non-European examples in the response.

Understanding the basic tenets of Islam is indispensable in interpreting its art. Students should read carefully the special features on the Five Pillars of Islam and the life of Muhammad on pp. 340 and 341 in the text.

After discussing European influences on Islamic architecture with the class, ask students to write a research paper explaining those elements as illustrated in one building. Some likely examples might be the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque in Cordoba, the Alhambra, and the Mosque of Selim. Allow students to pick the building of their choice, or assign them buildings to ensure a greater variety.

Some specific elements that students should include in their papers are floor plan, arches, domes, towers/minarets, and ornament (both interior and exterior). Roman and Byzantine architecture will likely be the best places for students to begin their comparisons.

Taking the comparison a step further, challenge students to explain how the European elements were introduced into the Muslim architecture. A brief history of the region in which the building is located will be needed, along with a description of noteworthy neighboring structures of an earlier date. Can students draw a clear lineage from earlier architecture of the region to the structure they are analyzing? They should consider any elements in particular that stand out as showing the regional influence and the ways in which the ornamentation reveals local traditions. For example, if there are figurative elements, where did they come from?