NOURISH, MORESQUE, ARABIAN, OR SARACENIC ARCM TECTURE.—The style of building indifferently designated by any one of the above titles, is that which was practised by the Arabs, or ,Iloors, and which, owing to the migratory condition of that race, and to their widely-spread influence, prevailed in many parts of the eastern continent. It is some times styled hammedan. for under the auspices of that fidth it chiefly flimrished; and amongst the edifices Which Islamism gave rise to, are to be found some of the most magnificent and characteristic examples of the style. Previous to the time of the Arabs scent to have possessed but, little knowledge of' the arts, and to have made little progress in the art of building until the commencement of the Um mind dynasty. They would appear to have acquired a great portion of their knowledge of the arts from the various na tions they subdued, during the reign of Oinar. who died A. n. GIL It was this prince who founded a mosque, still after his name, on the site of the ancient temple at Jerusa lem, and which, by the additions and embellishments of suc ceeding kaliphs. has been reared into a large and magnificent pile. With the commencement of the Ommiad dynasty., was introduced a taste for the enIthation of the fine arts, and after the first kaliph of that house had removed the seat of empire from 'Aledina to Damascus, the hors began to assume the relined manners and the magnificence of the more polished Asiatic empires. During this and the f011ow ing reigns, Damascus was adorned with numerous and splen did public, buildings, amongst which the great mosque, founded by Alwalid 1. is partieula•ly eelebiated. This prince was the first to introduce the minaret. an appendage Which, although an innovation at the time, has now become a marked characteristic of Mohammedan buildings. 11e like wise made considerable additions to the mosque of Medina, and enlarged and adorned that built by Omar at Jerusalem to which we have referred above; in short, he expended a great portion of his revenues in the promotion ofarchitecture, an example which followed by his subjects generally.
The zeal of this race, however, in the promotion of the fine arts was surpassed by the house of El Abbas. The second kuliph of the Abassides removed the scat of empire from Damascus to Bagdad, which was founded by Almansnr, A. n. 76•2, and continued in affluence and splendour fur the space of five hundred years. In the structure and deco ration of this city, neither labour nor expense were spared, and the details of the gorgeous magnificence of the kaliph's palace would almost exceed the ordinary limits of belief, were they not authenticated by contemporary and ocular testi mony." Egypt and Africa were at an early period in possession of the Arabs, and the seat of empire was placed at Cairoc which was founded by the victorious general, Akbah, and flourished chiefly under the Fathnite lino of kaliphs, who in the tenth century founded the new city of Cairo, and affected to rival the kaliphs of Asia in the splendour and inagni-licenee of their buildings. Numerous vestiges of their edifices still remain, and amongst the most stately must be enumerated the great mosque. which is accounted the most magnificent in Barbary, and is said to be supported by five hundred columns of granite, porphyry, and Numidian marble.
But of all the Moors, those of Spain were surpassed by none in the magnificence and grandeur of their buildings, rivalled, if they did not excel, those of Damascus, Bagdad, and Cairo, even in their most palmy days. The exceeding splendour of the mosque at Cord, wa, and of the palaces of the Alhamra and El Genaraliffe, places those build ings on an equal footing with the most celebrated Cities of antiqui; y ; awl as the remains here are niore numerous, and withal better known and more readily accessible, than those of Asia or Mirka, they are usually made to form the ground work of an examination of the general style, and to afford examples of its application ;—a practice which we shall adopt in the present article.