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The Origin of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults Famed in North Africa and Spain

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The Origin of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults Famed in North Africa and Spain Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura THE ORIGIN OF THE ISLAMIC RIBBED VAULTS FAMED IN NORTH AFRICA AND SPAIN By RANA M. ALKADI Architect A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Architectural Heritage Department for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Advise: José Carlos Palacios 2016 DEDICATION To my father who believed in the importance of education iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT I thank God for accepting my prayers not to stop learning and reaching a high level in education to be able to spread knowledge from people to people. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my Father and Mother for their patience during my studies. My sincerest thanks to Supervisor: Professor Jose Carlos Palacios for his guidance, support and valuable contributions throughout the preparations for this thesis and for giving me a great inner strength to success. It would be unfair not to mention the greatest support provided by the Department Secretary, Christina Villalba, for being a great friend and help during my research studies. iv ABSTRACT Islamic Architecture went through several periods of time. During its peak, numerous Islamic dynasties had been developed which resulted in the creation of new forms of architecture. When Islam started rising, it focused on spreading its faith among people in the Arabian Peninsula. Later, it concentrated on expanding to neighbourhood districts outside the Arabian Peninsula reaching Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Iran, North Africa and parts of Europe. These expansions developed rapid transformation in Architecture. The enormous extent of the Islamic Empire had developed independent dynasties over time. Each independent dynasty had a central political and geographical location, which created an individual art in architecture. These dynasties created a recognized architectural designs and methodologies, some influenced by previous Civilizations, some influenced by the characteristics of the regions in which they developed and some follows the influence of Islamic religious philosophies. Throughout history, new branches of Islamic beliefs had been created and new sub independent dynasties had been developed. This raise a research question to investigate on: The origin of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults, which famed in North Africa and Spain. The research paper takes a comprehensive analysis of civilizations that were founded before Islam in North Africa and Spain and resulted in the development of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults, which popped particularly during the eighth century. It also, traces the development of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults since it’s initiated until it reached North Africa and Spain. Previous research papers analysed a certain period of time or region but none had traced the development of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults since its birth. To this end, the thesis investigates on the Islamic Ribbed Vaults development in Dessert Castles, Fortresses, Mosques and Mausoleums. The results of which are expected to open doors for new papers in the field of Islamic Ribbed Vaults, types, and construction Method. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT ................................................................................................................ iiii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................. v P A R T I ................................................................................................................................. 17 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 18 1.1 RESEARCH PAPER TITLE ...................................................................................................... 19 1.2 DEFINITION OF THE STUDY AREA ...................................................................................... 20 1.3 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................... 21 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ......................................................................................................... 23 1.5 LIMITATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 24 1.6 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 25 1.6.1 Inductive Method ........................................................................................................... 25 1.6.2 Felid Visits ....................................................................................................................... 26 a. Field Trip: Tunis ...................................................................................................... 27 b. Field Trip: Spain ..................................................................................................... 34 c. Felid Trip: Morocco ................................................................................................ 40 P A R T I I ............................................................................................................................... 43 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................... 44 2.1 STUDY STATEMENT ........................................................................................................ 44 2.2 LITERATURE REVIEWS .................................................................................................... 50 vi P A R T I I I ............................................................................................................................. 57 3. TRACING HISTORY ............................................................................................................... 58 3.1 History and the Birth of Islamic Domes ............................................................................. 58 3.2 Umayyad Era Introduction: 661– 699 AD .......................................................................... 63 3.2.1 The Birth of Umayyads Domes: 685- 691AD .................................................................. 64 a. Dome of the Rock .................................................................................................. 65 3.2.2 Umayyads Desert Castles Domes: 720- 750 AD.............................................................. 68 a. Azraq Castle Vaults: III century .............................................................................. 73 b. Qasr Harrana Vaults: 710 AD ................................................................................. 76 c. Qusayr Amra Vaults: 711-715 AD .......................................................................... 83 d. Qasr Al Mushatta Vaults: 744 AD .......................................................................... 89 e. Qasr Tuba Vault: 774AD ....................................................................................... 90 f. Qasr Hallabat Complex Vaults: III century ............................................................. 93 g. Hammam Al Sarah Vault ........................................................................................ 95 h. Khirbat Al Mafjar Vault: 724 – 743 AD .................................................................. 96 3.2.3 List of Umayyad Dessert Castles ..................................................................................... 98 3.2.3.1 Type of Vaults in Umayyad Dessert Castles ..................................................... 100 3.2.4 Umayyad Emirates Domes in Islamic Iberia: 711–899 AD ............................................ 101 3.2.5 Umayyad Caliphates Domes in Islamic Iberia: 912- 999 AD ......................................... 111 3.3 Islamic Iberia Introduction: 1031 AD .............................................................................. 114 3.3.1 Taifa Kingdom: 1031 AD ............................................................................................... 114 a. Zaragoza Mosque ................................................................................................ 115 3.3.2 Moravid Introduction: 1056- 1091 until 1146 AD ........................................................ 117 a. Tlemcen Mosque ................................................................................................. 118 3.3.2.1 Marrakesh Introduction 1120 until 1184 AD ............................................................. 121 vii a. Qubbat Albarudiyyin ............................................................................................ 122 b. Kutubia Mosque .................................................................................................. 124 3.4 Abbasid Era Introduction ................................................................................................. 126 3.4.1 The Birth of Abbasid Domes: 755 AD............................................................................ 127 3.4.1.1 Abbasid Domes in Iraq ............................................................................................... 130 a. Ukhadir Fortress, Karbala: 762 AD .....................................................................
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