80 Islamic Architecture Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Which brick minaret in Bukhara is known as the Kalyan Minaret?
Answer
Minaret of Kalyan
Which architectural feature gives the Alhambra’s Court of the Lions its name?
Answer
Marble lion fountain
Which Andalusian mosque is famous for its forest of red-and-white horseshoe arches in Córdoba, Spain?
Answer
Great Mosque of Córdoba
Which mosque in Yazd is famous for its 14th-century portal and one of Iran’s tallest minarets?
Answer
Jameh Mosque of Yazd
Which Cairo mosque was founded in 970 as part of the Fatimid capital al-Qāhirah?
Answer
Al-Azhar Mosque
Which Istanbul mosque, completed in 1616, is popularly called the Blue Mosque?
Answer
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
Which Isfahan mosque is known for its unusually pale dome and intricate tilework commissioned by Shah Abbas I?
Answer
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque
Which mosque in Kairouan is famous for its massive square minaret and is one of North Africa’s oldest?
Answer
Great Mosque of Kairouan
Which Uzbek mosque in Samarkand was built by Timur and completed by his successors in 1404?
Answer
Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Which Ottoman mosque in Edirne did architect Mimar Sinan call his masterpiece?
Answer
Selimiye Mosque
Which mosque in Samarra has the famous Malwiya, a massive spiral minaret built in the 9th century?
Answer
Great Mosque of Samarra
Which Jerusalem shrine, completed in 691, is the earliest major surviving Islamic monument?
Answer
Dome of the Rock
Which Cairo mosque-madrasa was commissioned by Sultan Barquq and completed in 1386?
Answer
Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Barquq
Which Chinese mosque in Xi’an is one of the country’s oldest surviving Islamic buildings?
Answer
Great Mosque of Xi'an
Which medieval Islamic palace city near Córdoba was founded by Abd-ar-Rahman III in 936?
Answer
Medina Azahara
Which mosque in Oman is famous for housing one of the world’s largest handwoven carpets and a huge crystal chandelier?
Answer
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
Which Mughal tomb in Agra is commonly called the “Baby Taj” because of its delicate marble latticework?
Answer
Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah
Which mosque in Isfahan is considered Iran’s oldest surviving four-iwan mosque?
Answer
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
Which mosque in Lahore is celebrated for its 17th-century glazed-tile mosaic decoration?
Answer
Wazir Khan Mosque
Which mosque in Cairo is famous for its carved stone minaret and Ottoman-style architecture?
Answer
Mosque of Muhammad Ali
Which palace in Isfahan is known for its lofty Ali Qapu entrance and grand reception hall?
Answer
Ali Qapu Palace
Which Fatimid mosque in Cairo is famous for its historic connection to Al-Azhar University?
Answer
Al-Azhar Mosque