The Functions of Temples and Mosques

Theodore Jackson III
Survey of Art and Culture I
December 2, 2008
Introduction
Art is created in many forms. Artists express their ideas and feelings through painting, sculpture, architecture, etc. Most artists stick to the area which they are most comfortable with, but some art is created for a grand purpose. In such cases, the art dictates the medium of expression rather than the artist. Architecture illustrates this point most accurately. The ancient architects created monumental masterpieces that people still enjoy. The greatest display of architectural genius can be seen in the temples and mosques. The temples of Ramses II and Angkor Wat along with the mosque Hagia Sophia possess these common functions: tell a story of the past, have a significant religious purpose, and were created to show artistic beauty.

The Temple of Ramses II The temple of Ramses II is located at Abu Simbel in Nubia. It was built in the period of the New Kingdom (Kleiner 79). King Ramses II completed the building of the temple around 1253 B.C. (Nardo 120). Next to it he built a temple in remembrance of one of his many wives, Queen Nefertari (Nardo 120). His own temple was much larger in size compared to that of Nefertari. The difference in size was probably done on purpose. Larger statues and buildings often are a sign of more importance. Ramses II’s temple faced some adversity throughout the years. Around the time of Ramses’ thirtieth year as king, the region of Abu Simbel suffered an earthquake (Nardo 120). There was a great deal of damage done to the temple, but some of it was restored while other parts remained tarnished (Nardo 121). The large pieces of limestone had to be difficult to replace which was probably the reason the temple could not be fully restored. During the 1900’s, the temple faced another problem, the building of a new dam at Aswan in the 1960’s threatened the survival of the Temple of Ramses II (Mertz 255). The great temple would be flooded by water with the plans for the dam as they were. One of the greatest displays of international unity took place to save the temples at Abu Simbel. Archaeologists and engineers were brought in from all over the world to decide what to do about the temple. Finally, it was decided to cut the temples up into huge blocks and move it to another location (Mertz 255). The temple was moved about two hundred feet above its previous location (Mertz 255). The teamwork used to solve the problem of the temples showed the capability of mankind when banded together. Just as the temple of Ramses is a part of Egypt’s history, it also does a good job of telling the story of Egypt’s history. One example is a display of the Battle of Kadesh inside the temple walls (Nardo 73). The battle was the first to be recorded in detail by each event (Nardo 73). In Don Nardo’s book it says “at least fifteen separate copies of the battle story were created on the walls of temples at Abydos, Karnak, Abu Simbel, and elsewhere” (73). The battle is one of King Ramses’ greatest accomplishments. Another great function of a temple is the religious purpose it serves. Every temple’s primary purpose is to pay respect to the god(s). In Ramses II’s case, he dedicated his temple to the god Osiris (Murray 45). Not only do pharaoh’s create religious pieces out of respect for gods, but they also did it because as part of their duty of being a pharaoh. The text of Menu states, “An important obligation of the pharaoh was to authorize religious artworks. These included the making and ornamentation of statues of the gods, the building of luxurious temples to house them, the enrichment of their treasures, and the consecration of gigantic obelisks” (Menu 63). The Egyptian temple is known as the house of a deity, a place of their own where they can be worshipped (Dunand and Zivie - Coche 71). The religious function of a temple is repeated countless times through the design of the temples themselves. They are decorated with gods all throughout each individual temple. Although not the primary function, but definitely the most apparent, the temple of Ramses II is a display of beauty. Great thought and planning were put into the design of the great temple. The most famous feature is the entrance of the temple. There sit four towering statues of Ramses II. The location of the temple was picked based on how the rising of the sun would bring out the pink-tinted stone it was constructed with (Nardo 117). Margaret Murray describes the temple best, “For sheer beauty, artistic merit and costly material this temple is the finest monument which Ramses built” (Murray 48). Beauty is a universal function of temples stretching even as far as Southeast Asia.

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat is a temple in Angkor, Cambodia. It was built by Suryavarman II sometime between 1113 to 1150 A.D. (Atkinson 166). The temple served as a place of religious and political rule, an observatory, administrative center, and place of education (Atkinson 167). It was worked on by priests who were also astronomers (Atkinson 167). This explains the accuracy in the measurements of the temple. During the time that Angkor Wat was built the Khmer Empire was still in power. Around 1431 AD, the Thais took control of Angkor (Atkinson 168). Angkor Wat was not known to the western world until Frenchman, Henri Mouhot, discovered it in the nineteenth century (Atkinson 168). Many archaeologists began exploring the site in more detail in the twentieth century. It has not been fully explored due to the planting of landmines all around Angkor. New radar technology has permitted a topographical map of Angkor Wat by archaeologists (Atkinson 169). In the 1990’s, Dr Eleanor Mannikka discovered that the temple had been built using complex units of measurement that depending on how the sun was positioned in the sky, portrayed different images inside the temple (Atkinson 171). Study of Angkor Wat continues today that will reveal even more details about the great temple. Like the Temple of Ramses II, Angkor Wat functions as a religious establishment as well. The Khmer dedicated their architecture to their gods. Originally Angkor Wat was a place of Hindu worship, but with the political change of the region it became a Buddhist temple (Atkinson 165). The temple was created in dedication to the Hindu god Vishnu, the god of happiness, kinship, and preservation (Atkinson 165). The Khmer rulers were considered to be God Kings (Atkinson 165). One can get an idea of a God King by watching the modern day movie 300. In it the character, Xerxes, rules the Persian Empire. Khmer temples were created to connect the king with his personal god (Kleiner 176). The proof of the allegiance to the god Vishnu can be seen through the many depictions of him in reliefs throughout the temple (Kleiner 176). Like the Egyptians, the Khmer displayed the hierarchy of their rulers through size. Figures of more importance appeared larger. The reliefs in the temple are a testament to the gods all while being pleasing to the eye. Angkor Wat is known as the largest religious monument in the world (Atkinson 165). From Gardner’s Art through the Ages, Kleiner says “Angkor Wat rises from a huge rectangle of land delineated by a moat measuring about 5,000 by 4,000 feet” (176). It is clearly one of the most intricately designed temples in the world. When looking at it, the first thing a person would notice is the cone-shaped towers spread throughout the temple. Each tower is covered with little points similar to a pine cone. The sandstone temple is a dominant display of the architectural abilities of the priests that created it (Atkinson 167). Angkor Wat is a true wonder of the world.

Hagia Sophia Located in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom, catches the interest of anyone who lays eyes on it. It was built by Justinian after his conquest in the Nika Riot between 532 and 537 (Krautheimer 205). Contrary to previous buildings during Justinian’s reign, the Hagia Sophia was not built by traditional engineers. Instead it was built by experts in geometry, physics, and mathematics. Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, manufactured the building plans for Hagia Sophia (Kleiner 313). The mosque as seen today differs from that of 537. In 558, the first dome collapsed so the dome had to undergo modifications as a result (Krautheimer 206). The dome collapsed two more times in 989 and 1346. After the rule of Justinian, the Ottomans in 1453 constructed four towering minarets and during the same time the building became a mosque (Kleiner 313). The building became nonreligious in the 20th century and is now a museum (Kleiner 313). Justinian claims to have got the design for the Hagia Sophia from an angel (Parkyn 22). No different than the Temple of Ramses II and Angkor Wat, the Hagia Sophia was created as a place of worship. Justinian ordered Anthemius and Isidorus to create a place unsurpassed by any other church, but still able to maintain the basic function of worship. Christianity ruled the Hagia Sophia in its early days. The events that took place in the church included processions in which the bread and wine distributed among the congregation, Bible readings and a sermon (Parkyn 22). The architecture of the church compliments the religious function of the building. According to Parkyn, “Although functional, this architecture at the same time offered the faithful and eveloping experience of light and space, especially beneath the centralized dome, soon to be understood in Byzantine theological exegesis as the symbol of heaven” (Parkyn 22). The allusions to heaven are definite proof of the beauty the Hagia Sophia possesses. One cannot grasp the true beauty of the Hagia Sophia from the outside alone. The interior of the building is where the true magnificence is stored. The greatest artistic accomplishment is in the elaborate mosaics that still cover the ceilings (Eyewitness 74). Tourists are taken back by the huge nave that reaches 184 feet high (Eyewitness 73). The Hagia Sophia possesses wonderful marble columns throughout that add to its overall magnificence (Parkyn 24). The building was so masterfully done that its design was copied in the creation of the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (Parkyn 24). Mere words do not fully accomplish the task of describing the Hagia Sophia. One must see it to fully understand the beauty it beholds.
Summary
No matter what time period or location in the world, a temple or mosque is created to serve the same purposes. Each one gives insight to the events of the past. By analyzing the composition of a temple or mosque, a person can find out what materials the people used during that time and how they built their buildings. These religious monuments also contain paintings, reliefs, and statues that tell stories or show what the previous inhabitants looked like. These temples and mosques are primarily created as places of worship. Each religion has a different god that is worshipped, making the look of a particular monument different. Almost all temples and mosques contain an image of the primary god to be worshipped. Lastly, these creations serve the function of being beautiful artworks manufactured by brilliant people. The large scale of each monument is no accident. They were all created to be seen and admired. It is that very reason that we are still able to enjoy the likes of the Temple of Ramses II, Angkor Wat, and Hagia Sophia today. They have all stood the test of time and will continue to do so for many years.

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