User:Snmisras/sandbox

Article Evaluation
I looked at the article for Islamic Architecture, and there were definitely some things that looked a bit off. The beginning seemed rather short, and there were some areas that seemed to be just talking about the history of the people, but it seemed that was a bit off topic, as this is supposed to focus on the architectural style, and the history of that. The article in its current form seems rather neutral, and the views in it don't seem over or underrepresented. As for citations, there were 2 links that I clicked on that took me to no longer available pages, but for the most part the links and sources correlated with what the article was informing about. Not every fact is referenced, as there are some parts that don't have any citations and therefore no source to check for them. The sources that were found though seemed reliable and relatively unbiased. The Talk page brings up some issues that could be tackled if I edit this article, such as certain regional styles not fitting the category they were in, or some not being represented. The article is rates as a start class in Art, but a B class in its two WikiProjects that it is part of, Islam and Architecture. The way this article differs than the class information we learned is the in depth information it had on regional styles, and it went more into detail on the actual defining features of the style itself as well.

Potential Articles
Islamic architecture - Add a section on modern Islamic architecture + on Qibla

Church architecture - Potentially add a section on Church Architecture Outside of Europe

Qibla
Qibla is the direction in which Mecca is from any given location, and within Islamic architecture it is a major component of both the features and the orientation of the building itself. Ancient Islamic cities and the Mihrab in mosques were meant to be built facing in this direction, yet when actually observing the layout of such areas they do not all point to the same place. This is due to discrepancies in the calculations of the Islamic scientists in the past who determined where Mecca was from their individual locations. Scholars note that these differences come about for a multitude of reasons, such as some misunderstanding the meaning of Qibla itself, the fact that the geographic coordinates of the past do not line up with the coordinates of today, and that the determination of this direction was more an astronomical calculation, rather than a mathematical one. Early mosques were constructed according to either the calculations of what direction Qibla was approximately, or with the Mihrab facing south, as that was the direction that the Prophet Muhammad was facing when he prayed in Medina, which is a city directly north of Mecca

Islamic Architecture in Modern Times
In modern times, the architecture of Islamic buildings, not just religious ones, has gone through some changes. The new architectural style doesn't stick with the same fundamental aspects that were seen in the past, but mosques for the most part still feature the same parts - the Mihrab, the minarets, four-iwan plan, and the pishtaq. A difference to note is the appearance of mosques without domes, as in the past mosques for the most part all had them, but these new dome-less mosques seem to follow a function over form design, and are created by those not of the Islamic faith, in most cases. The influence of Islam still pervades the style of creation itself, and provides a 'conceptual framework', for the making of a building that exemplifies the styles and beliefs of Islam. It has also been influenced by the now meeting of many different cultures, such as European styles meeting Islamic styles, leading to Islamic architects incorporating features of other architectural and cultural styles.

Urban Design and Islam
Urban design and the tradition of Islamic styled architecture have begun to combine to form a new 'neo-Islamic' style, where the efficiency of the urban style meshes with the spirituality and aesthetic characteristics of Islamic styles. Islamic Architecture in itself is a style that showcases the values, and the culture of Islam, but in modern times sticking to tradition is falling out of practice, so a combination style formed. Examples showing this are places such as the Marrakesh Menara Airport, the Islamic Cultural Center and Museum of Tolerance, Masjid Permata Qolbu, the concept for The Vanishing Mosque, and the Mazar-e-Quaid. All of these buildings show the influence of Islam over them, but also the movements of things like minimalism which are rising to popularity in the architectural field. Designers that use the aspects of both modern styles and the Islamic styles found a way to have the Western-inspired modernism with the classical cultural aspects of Islamic architecture. This concept though brings up the controversy of the identity of the Islamic community, of the traditional Islamic community, within a space that doesn't follow the way they knew it.

Controversy on Status as a Style of Architecture
There are some who also debate whether Islamic Architecture can truly be called a style, as the religious aspect is seen as separate and having no bearing on the architectural style, while on the other side people also argue that the newfound trend and divergence from the style of old Islamic Architecture is what is causing the style to lose it status. There are scholars that also believe that the distinguishing features of the Islamic Architecture style were not necessarily found within the architecture, but were rather environmental markers, such as the sounds of prayer, the city around it, the events that occurred there. The example given is that we know that a building is a mosque based on what happens there, rather than any visual cues. Specific features that are notably related to Islamic Architecture - the Mihrab, the Minaret, and the Gate - are seen in multiple locations and do not always serve the same use, and symbolism for being Islamic in nature is seen to be demonstrated more culturally than it is architecturally. Islamic Architecture is also sometimes referred to as a 'hidden architecture', one that doesn't necessarily show the physical traits of the style, rather it is something that is experienced.

Regional Church Architecture
Church architecture varies depending on both the sect of the faith, as well as the geographical location and the influences acting upon it. Variances from the typical church architecture as well as unique characteristics can be seen in many areas around the globe.

American Church Architecture
The split between Eastern and Western Church Architecture extended it's influence into the churches we see in America today as well. America's churches are a amalgamation of the many styles and cultures that collided here, examples being St. Constantine, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Polish Cathedral style churches, and Russian Orthodox churches, found all across the country. There are remnants of the Byzantine inspired architecture in many of the churches, such as the large domed ceilings, extensive stonework, and a maximizing of space to be used for religious iconography on walls and such. Churches classified as Ukrainian or Catholic also seem to follow the trend of being overall much more elaborately decorated and accentuated than their Protestant counterparts, in which decoration is simple.

Specifically in Texas, there are remnants of the Anglo-American colonization that are visible in the architecture itself. Texas in itself was a religious hotbed, and so ecclesiastical architecture developed at a faster pace than in other areas. Looking at the Antebellum period (1835-1861), Church architecture shows the values and personal beliefs of the architects who created them, while also showcasing Texan cultural history. Both the Catholic and Protestant buildings showed things such as the' architectural traditions, economic circumstances, religious ordinances, and aesthetic tastes ' of those involved. The movement to keep ethnicities segregated during this time was also present in the very foundations of this architecture. Their physical appearances vary wildly from area to area though, as each served its own local purpose, and as mentioned before, due to the multitude of religious groups, each held a different set of beliefs.

English Church Architecture
The history of England's churches is extensive and therefore their style has gone through many changes, and has had numerous influences such as 'geographical, geological, climatic, religious, social, and historical ' ones shape it. One of the earliest style changes is shown in the Abbey Church of Westminster, which was built in a completely foreign style for its time, and was a cause for concern for many as it heralded change. A second example is St. Pauls Cathedral, which was one of the earliest Protestant Cathedrals in England. There are many other notable churches that have each had their own influence on the ever-changing style in England, such as Truro, Westminster Cathedral, Liverpool, and Guildford. Between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the style of church architecture could be called 'Early English' and 'Decorated', and this time period is considered when England was in it's prime in the category of church building. It was after the Black Death that the style went through another change, this time to one called the 'perpendicular style', where ornamentation became more extravagant and elaborate.

An architectural element that appeared soon after the Black Death style change and is observed extensively in Medieval English styles is faulting, seen in the Chapel of Henry VII, and the King's College Chapel in Cambridge. After this, the prevalent style was Gothic for around 300 years, but the style was clearly present for many years before that as well. In these late Gothic times there was a specific way in which the foundations for the churches were built. First a stone skeleton would be built, then the spaces between the vertical supports filled with large glass windows, then those windows supported by their own transoms and mullions. On the topic of church windows, the windows are somewhat controversial as some argue that the church should be flooded with light, and some argue that they should be dim for an ideal praying environment. Most church plans in England have their roots in one of two styles, Basilican and Celtic, and then we see the later emergence of a 'two-cell' plan, consisting of nave and sanctuary

In the time before the last war, there was a movement towards a new style of architecture, one that was more functional than embellished. There was an increased use of steel and concrete, and a rebellion against the romantic nature of the traditional style. This resulted in a 'battle of the styles ' in which one side was leaning towards the modernist, functional way of design, and the other was following traditional Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. This is present in the architecture of all buildings, not just churches.

Wallachian Church Architecture
In the early Romanian territory of Wallachia, there were three major influences that can be seen. The first are the western influences of Gothic and Romanesque styles, before later falling to the greater influence of the Byzantine styles. The early western influences can be seen in two places, the first is a church in Câmpulung, that showcases distinctly Romanesque styles, and the second are the remnants of a church in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, which has features of the Gothic style. There are not many remaining examples of those two styles, but the Byzantine influence is much more prominent. A few prime examples of the direct Byzantine influence are the St. Nicoara and Domneasca in Curtea de Arges, and church at Nicopolis in Bulgaria. These all show the characteristic features such as sanctuaries, rectangular naves, circular interiors with non-circular exteriors, and small chapels. The Nicopolis church and the Domneasca both have Greek inspired plans, but the Domneasca is far more developed than the Nicopolis church. Alongside these are also traces of Serbian, Georgian, and Armenian influences that found their way to Wallachia through Serbia.