The earliest architectural monument of Islam that retains most of its original form is the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhrah) in Jerusalem, constructed in 691-92. It has mosaics depicting scrolling vines and flowers, jewels, and crowns in greens, blues, and gold. Similar in some aspects is the later Great Mosque of Damascus which was built by Al Walid over what was originally a Roman temple. The interior walls have stone mosaics that depict crowns, fantastic plants, realistic trees, and even empty towns. This is thought to represent Paradise for the faithful Muslim. Both the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and The great Mosque of Damascus used the Syrian cut-stone technique of building and popularized the use of the dome.

The 8th-century desert palace Khirbat al-Mafjar (in present day Jordan) reveals a wealth of carved and molded stucco decoration, sculptured stone relief's, and figural fresco paintings. In 750 the Abbasid dynasty moved the capital east to Baghdad, and from 836 to 892 the Abbasid rulers resided at Samarra. The Great Mosque of Samarra is an important example of the Iraqi hypostyle, noted for its massive size and spectacular Minaret. In Iran few Islamic buildings erected before the 10th cent. are still standing. Sassanid building techniques, such as the Squinches, were combined with the mosque form. Sassanid influence is also strong in many Umayyad dynasty residential palaces, built mostly in Syria. The most famous is the 8th-century palace of Mshatta; much of its delicately carved stone facade is now in Berlin.

In the middle of the 8th cent. the last of the Umayyads escaped to Spain and re-founded his dynasty there. The great Mosque of Cordoba was begun in 785 and is famous for its rows of double-tiered arches. The mosque was extended four times. The culture of Islamic Spain reached its apogee in Moorish art and architecture. Faïence and lacy pierced-stone screens are the hallmarks of its decoration. The same style prevails in N Africa and is seen at its best in Fès, Morocco, where much elaborately carved wood is used. The Mudé jar style of Spain, employed throughout the 18th cent. and influential until much later, is based on this architecture.