The Mezquita Mosque Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Mezquita Mosque - Research Paper Example It is the third largest mosque in the world and also one of the oddest, because it contains a Christian cathedral that was built inside it after the Moors got expelled in 1236. The graceful Moorish architecture combined with the triumphant Baroque cathedral memorializes in stone the conflict between Christianity and Islam that wracked Spain for 700 years. The Mezquita mosque was built in 785 and enlarged four times during the following 200 years; the cathedral was added in the 16th century. (Brockman, 2011, pg. 330) The Mezquita Mosque was founded by Abd ar-Rahman I in 785. Rahman I was the sole survivor of a tribe known as the Umayyards who fled Syria. Before Rahman I, the first Muslims who arrived to Cordoba shared la Mezquita with Christians. Rahman I bought the Christians out and started what would become a seven century dynasty of Muslim rule over Spain. After Rahman I died, he was followed by Abd ar-Rahmann II (822-52), who vastly extended the Mosque in the ninth century and un der Abd ar-Rahman III (912-61), Cordoba rose to become the largest and most prosperous city in Europe. Improvements on the Mosque continued under his son Al-Hakim II (961-76) who doubled its size and hired Greek contractors to build the new Mihrab (huge doorway used as the entrance to the Mezquita), which stands to this day. The final improvement in size, on the mosque, came under Al-Mansour (977-1002). (Ward, pg. 151) The Mezquita Mosque is a patchwork combination of all civilizations that occupied Cordoba. None, however, could bring themselves to destroy the Mosque, so each culture added their own personal touches. (Ward, pg. 151) Cordoba was probably a sophisticated center of the arts from the time of ‘Abd al-Rahman I. Chronicles suggest his keen interest in Syrian culture, which is apparently confirmed by aspects of the Mezquita. (Bloom, J.M., and Blair, S., 2009, pg. 506) The mosque began as the Christian Visigothic church of St. Vincent around 600, which was in turn buil t on the ruins of a Roman temple. In 784, the local emir bought it and began replacing it with the mosque. It got enlarged and embellished over the next two hundred years. (Brockman, 2011, pg. 331) The architectural uniqueness of the Mezquita lies in the fact that it was a revolutionary building for its time, structurally speaking. It defied precedents. Both Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock and the Great Mosque in Damascus had vertical, navelike designs, but the aim of the Mezquita mosque was to create an infinitely spacious, democratically horizontal and classic space, where the spirit could roam freely and communicate easily with God. The original space of Islamic prayer (normally the open yard of a desert home) was transformed into a 14,400 square meter metaphor for the desert itself. Men prayed side by side on the argamasa, a floor made of compact, reddish slaked lime and sand. A flat roof, decorated with gold and multicolored motifs, shaded them from the sun. The orange pati o, where the ablution fountains gurgled with water, was the oasis. The terracotta and white striped arches indicated a hallucinogenic forest of date palms, and upheld the roof with over one thousand columns, 1293 to be precise, (856 of which remain). (Ham, 2010, pg 204) Construction of the Mezquita It is almost certain that the building that

Camera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Camera - Essay Example The high creativity and innovation of new cameras such as smart phones, which have numerous uses apart from taking photographs may lead to the decline of sales and profits reaped by camera companies (Kurtz 79). This indicates that the product has reached the decline stage, and it may become extinct if the innovation of new photo taking gadgets continues. Introduction Stage This is the stage when the product enters the market the first time, and firms reap low sales and profits because they conduct intense marketing to attract customers (Kurtz 30). The camera was first introduced in the market during the proto globalization period that began in the sixteenth century. Human intelligence increased during this period leading to the invention of various objects such as the wheel and the camera. The first camera, known as obscura, took inverted images that were not saved on any material. The object was as big as a house, and it allowed photographs of one person only. The camera had a hole through which light passed and formed inverted images of the objects in front of the gadget. The images taken by the camera were unclear and unattractive. The inventors of the product later developed portable cameras that increased the need for photography in the world (Joanne 65). Image of the first camera obscura (writtenshots.wordpress.com) Image taken using camera obscura (fineartamerica.com) Growth Stage The growth stage is the second phase of product development, which involves increases in sales and profits. Organizations reap higher benefits in this stage than in the introductory phase because of the incoming of new customers. During this stage, new firms begin producing the good so that they can reap the high profits and sales in the industry (Kurtz 84). In the introductory stage of the camera, Kodak was the only company that produced the product. However, new companies such as Nixxon and Sony entered the industry. The growth stage also involves the addition of features to the products to make them more attractive to existing customers. The additional features also help companies in attracting new users, and this enables them to recover they capital they invest in the production of the good. Eastman, the director of Kodak developed the camera by enabling the saving of images in films. The films were of limited length meaning that they would save a limited number of images. Users of the camera went back for film refilling to the companies where they bought the product when the existing space finished. The images saved on the films were also produced by the producing companies when there was no additional space in a film (Joanne 76). This meant that customers would wait for numerous days to view their pictures. The photographs taken using the film cameras were not also clear; although they were better than those of the obscura. The film camera (www.retrothing.com) Image taken using the film camera (www.shootingfilm.net) Instant cameras were also develop ed during the growth stage of the product life cycle. This is the camera that enabled consumers to recover their photographs immediately. Users did not have to wait for days or months to see their photographs like they did with the film camera (Joanne 93). The invention of this camera increased the sales of Kodak and other companies in the industry. This is because they attracted new customers and recovered sales from those who were dissatisfied by the extensive periods taken to produce