After travelling to 38+ countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas, i don't think that we Muslims (and Christians and to a lesser extent Jews) understand enough how blessed we are when it comes to architecture and art.
The amount of diversity/variety in Islamic architectural styles is unmatched. From the gorgeous Timurid style in Uzbekistan/Central Asia (definitely a must see if you love Islamic art and history. Gorgeous cities, mosques and markets), to the Mughal styles in India and Pakistan (Lahore, the Taj Mahal) to the Safavid architecture in Iran (Esfahan, Shiraz. The Naqsh e Jahan is easily one of my favorite landmarks ever. Absolutely gorgeous) to Moorish (Alhambra, Seville) to Ottoman (Sultan Ahmet mosque), Malian (Djenne, Mopti mosque), Mamluk, Hausa, Swahili, Somali and many more. And who can forget the Al-Asqa mosque?
The calligraphy, geometric designs, stonework, pottery/ceramics, carpets, pillars, minarets, domes, arches, mosaics are so varied and diverse in every region, hell even in cities and towns.
The same goes for Christian architecture and art. From the Renaissance, baroque and gothic architecture in different parts of Europe to the Byzantine landmarks in Istanbul, Syria and Egypt to Lalibela and other churches in Ethiopia/Eritrea to the colonial artworks in Latin America & Asia. The realism in paintings & sculptures are truly unmatched.
I can go to two different mosques and stare for hours at the little and elaborate details.
While there were a couple of Hindu and buddhist temples and shrines that i found beautiful in Asia (Angkor Wat, Bali, Tamil Nadu in India, some temples in Bangkok, Beijing, Kyoto and Seoul), i found it on average to be very meh and even borderline ugly (no disrespect). For the most part it lacked sophistication to me and it looked more 'natural'(Angkor wat for example is impressive size wise and the statues were nice but there's barely anything going on inside. Just stones). The religious sculptures are on average also more monotonous.
In the case of East Asia (Korea, Japan, China), i liked the traditional Chinese and Korean architecture more as it was vibrant and colourful but frankly if you have seen 3-4 temples/shrines, you have seen it all. Not a lot of variety/diversity in the architectural and art style and aside from the altars, it was generally very empty/plain inside. Especially in the case of Japanese architecture, very plain wooden buildings (exceptions like the Nikko treasures which are very elaborate shrines) and nothing inside, with only few sculptures + altar. The Chinese wall is better in pictures than in real life, very dirty (people warned me not to touch it as many have either peeped on it) and was very much crumbling. It's still very impressive and one of the most significant work in history. Xian, the Muslim quarter, has the best food in whole China. Himeji castle in Japan is only beautiful exterior wise but nothing (and i really mean nothing) is inside it. Not even a museum, as is it the case in Osaka castle.
And Hindu architecture is my least favorite. There are very beautiful cities like Jaisalmar and some temples but overall were they aesthetically speaking, ugly to me. I don't know how to describe it, but aside from how beautiful and vibrant the colours are, nothing impressed me. I like their traditional clothing, jewelry, food, dance/music, henna and others way more than their architecture. Many of the sculptures are beautiful although quite scary.
Honestly, i think that there's a reason why it's Islamic landmarks like Taj Mahal and all the other Mughal tombs, palaces, gardens in Delhi/Mumbai that are the biggest tourist attractions in India for a reason.
I would say the only exceptions are the ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Aztec/Mesoamerican and Mesopotamian sites but even then in my opinion Muslims and Christians have already surpassed them, taking the best parts of the ancients (domes, arches, bridges) and developed them more. Also Manchu Picchu is only beautiful thanks to it's surroundings/mountains. Easily the biggest disappointment ever.
The amount of diversity/variety in Islamic architectural styles is unmatched. From the gorgeous Timurid style in Uzbekistan/Central Asia (definitely a must see if you love Islamic art and history. Gorgeous cities, mosques and markets), to the Mughal styles in India and Pakistan (Lahore, the Taj Mahal) to the Safavid architecture in Iran (Esfahan, Shiraz. The Naqsh e Jahan is easily one of my favorite landmarks ever. Absolutely gorgeous) to Moorish (Alhambra, Seville) to Ottoman (Sultan Ahmet mosque), Malian (Djenne, Mopti mosque), Mamluk, Hausa, Swahili, Somali and many more. And who can forget the Al-Asqa mosque?
The calligraphy, geometric designs, stonework, pottery/ceramics, carpets, pillars, minarets, domes, arches, mosaics are so varied and diverse in every region, hell even in cities and towns.
The same goes for Christian architecture and art. From the Renaissance, baroque and gothic architecture in different parts of Europe to the Byzantine landmarks in Istanbul, Syria and Egypt to Lalibela and other churches in Ethiopia/Eritrea to the colonial artworks in Latin America & Asia. The realism in paintings & sculptures are truly unmatched.
I can go to two different mosques and stare for hours at the little and elaborate details.
While there were a couple of Hindu and buddhist temples and shrines that i found beautiful in Asia (Angkor Wat, Bali, Tamil Nadu in India, some temples in Bangkok, Beijing, Kyoto and Seoul), i found it on average to be very meh and even borderline ugly (no disrespect). For the most part it lacked sophistication to me and it looked more 'natural'(Angkor wat for example is impressive size wise and the statues were nice but there's barely anything going on inside. Just stones). The religious sculptures are on average also more monotonous.
In the case of East Asia (Korea, Japan, China), i liked the traditional Chinese and Korean architecture more as it was vibrant and colourful but frankly if you have seen 3-4 temples/shrines, you have seen it all. Not a lot of variety/diversity in the architectural and art style and aside from the altars, it was generally very empty/plain inside. Especially in the case of Japanese architecture, very plain wooden buildings (exceptions like the Nikko treasures which are very elaborate shrines) and nothing inside, with only few sculptures + altar. The Chinese wall is better in pictures than in real life, very dirty (people warned me not to touch it as many have either peeped on it) and was very much crumbling. It's still very impressive and one of the most significant work in history. Xian, the Muslim quarter, has the best food in whole China. Himeji castle in Japan is only beautiful exterior wise but nothing (and i really mean nothing) is inside it. Not even a museum, as is it the case in Osaka castle.
And Hindu architecture is my least favorite. There are very beautiful cities like Jaisalmar and some temples but overall were they aesthetically speaking, ugly to me. I don't know how to describe it, but aside from how beautiful and vibrant the colours are, nothing impressed me. I like their traditional clothing, jewelry, food, dance/music, henna and others way more than their architecture. Many of the sculptures are beautiful although quite scary.
Honestly, i think that there's a reason why it's Islamic landmarks like Taj Mahal and all the other Mughal tombs, palaces, gardens in Delhi/Mumbai that are the biggest tourist attractions in India for a reason.
I would say the only exceptions are the ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Aztec/Mesoamerican and Mesopotamian sites but even then in my opinion Muslims and Christians have already surpassed them, taking the best parts of the ancients (domes, arches, bridges) and developed them more. Also Manchu Picchu is only beautiful thanks to it's surroundings/mountains. Easily the biggest disappointment ever.
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