West Asian Architecture
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Arch of Sapor - Parthians
The Hellenistic kingdoms were then conquered, about 100 BC, by the Romans (in the West) and the Parthians (in the East). The Romans built many Roman-style buildings all over their part of West Asia. They built amphitheaters and temples and paved roads and aqueducts. The Parthians, because they had been nomads, did less building at first, but they also built roads and temples.
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
Both the Romans and the Parthians ruled for a long time, but then around 650 AD the Arabs conquered both empires and reunited West Asia in the Islamic Empire. The Islamic caliphs built many beautiful mosques and palaces and other buildings. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem may be the most famous example.
When the Crusaders came to West Asia in the 1100's AD, they built castles and churches as well, like the fortress of Acre. But the Seljuks, the Mamluks, and the Ottomans continued to built beautiful mosques and palaces, too.
To find out more about West Asian architecture, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
The Art and Architecture of the Ancient Orient, by Henri Frankfort (5th edition 1997). The standard for college art history classes.
Persepolis: The archaeology of Parsa, seat of the Persian kings, by Donald Newton Wilber (1969).
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