DOCSLIB.ORG

The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning Author(S): Yasser Tabbaa Source: Muqarnas, Vol

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning Author(S): Yasser Tabbaa Source: Muqarnas, Vol The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning Author(s): Yasser Tabbaa Source: Muqarnas, Vol. 3 (1985), pp. 61-74 Published by: Brill Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1523084 Accessed: 03-12-2015 10:52 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Brill is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Muqarnas. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 131.130.92.203 on Thu, 03 Dec 2015 10:52:28 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions YASSER TABBAA THE MUQARNAS DOME: ITS ORIGIN AND MEANING One of the most original inventions of Islamic architec- on a variety of factors, but generally speaking that ture is the muqarnas, and one of the most effective and awareness was lost, and the concomitant debasement of widespread of its applications is without doubt the mu- meaningful forms into mere decoration took place, qarnas dome or semidome. Brick vaults and domes much more quickly in Islam than in other cultures and have been known in the Near East since Sassanian religions.6 It therefore becomes imperative in searching times, if not before, but the dome in muqarnas is a truly for meaning in any given form of Islamic architecture Islamic creation without precedent in any civilization. to begin with the origin of this form and to focus on its Whether made of wood, stucco, brick, or stone, muqar- earliest development-particularly its first use outside nas vaults were among the most characteristic features its place of origin. of medieval Islamic architecture from Iran to Spain. It Because equally early "muqarnas-like" elements is therefore not surprising that a good number of studies have been found in both northeastern Iran and central have been dedicated to the description and analysis of North Africa, most authorities assume that the muqar- this architectural form.1 What is surprising, however, is nas (and hence the muqarnas dome) either originated in that in spite of all these studies such basic problems as one or the other place or was invented simultaneously origin, chronology, geographic distribution-not to in both. Specialists in Iranian architecture postulate a mention meaning-remain unclear and subject to continuous line of development that begins with the debate. My intention here is to discuss these problems, tenth-century fragments found near Nishapur and the though not for all types of muqarnas in all periods. I tripartite squinches of the late-tenth-century Arab Ata shall limit myself to muqarnas domes and vaults con- mausoleum at Tim, continues with the numerous structed between c. 1050 and c. 1250, that is, to the eleventh-century Seljuq domes, and ends with Ilkhanid earliest known examples. and Timurid muqarnas domes and portal vaults.7 The Limiting the scope of the discussion to the earliest problem with this theory is that no direct link can be known muqarnas domes requires some explanation. established between Seljuq domes and Ilkhanid muqar- My reasons are two. First of all, any attempt to discern nas domes and portal vaults. Large smooth Seljuq meaning in such a common architectural form faces the domes which spring from a multipartite squinch zone danger of falling into a morass of overgeneralization continue unchanged until well into the Ilkhanid period, unless it is focused in some way.2 The problems of in- as a comparison between the domes of the Great Islamic terpreting architecture have been discussed by Mosques of Isfahan (1088) and Veramin (1322-26) Oleg Grabar both very recently3 and in a number of shows.8 Therefore, although the differentiation of the earlier essays.4 Grabar attributes the disjunction, or at squinch into muqarnas cells does indeed occur first in least the weak connection, between form and meaning northeastern Iran, the total muqarnas dome of the Il- to the (or symbol) "low symbolic charge" of Islamic ar- khanid period is not a product of this development and chitectural forms, a characteristic that ultimately led to must therefore be attributed to some other source. "an ambiguous visual system."5 While that conclusion As for the North African development, I doubt if the is generally correct, it overlooks the point that certain so-called muqarnas fragments discovered at Qal'at bani forms in certain times specific and places had a "high Hammad and dated to the late eleventh century are symbolic charge" at the moment of their inception. muqarnas at all.9 They share no properties with true How these long forms continued to be used with full muqarnas cells, and in any case they could never have awareness of their highly charged meaning depended been assembled to fill the cavity of a dome or even a This content downloaded from 131.130.92.203 on Thu, 03 Dec 2015 10:52:28 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 62 YASSER TABBAA niche. Not by any stretch of the imagination could they called al-Dawr.11 It is a shrine dedicated to Imam have led to the well-known twelfth-century muqarnas Muhammad ibn Musa ibn JaCfar, an alleged son of the vaults in a number of North African mosques.'0 Both fifth ShiCite Imam. It was begun by the CUqaylid prince northeastern Iran and North Africa therefore have to be Muslim ibn Quraysh, who died in 1085, and was com- eliminated as likely places for the origin of the muqar- pleted before 1090 by officials of his court.'2 The nas dome. mausoleum consists of an elongated chamber with Another possibility is Iraq, since it has provided us tapering walls about twelve meters high and a muqar- with the earliest example of a fully fledged muqarnas nas dome almost exactly the same height (plate 1). As dome in the so-called shrine of Imam al-Dawr, located an early example of its type, this dome betrays certain some twenty kilometers north of Samarra in a village affinities with the regular squinch dome. The square of the chamber is transformed into an octagon through the use of large and heavily profiled squinches (plate 2). Eight smaller squinches (or, in fact, large muqarnas cells) rest on this octagon and form an eight-pointed star with four windows. The rest of the dome is made up of three more eight-celled tiers with ever- diminishing cells, each with a 45-degree rotation and a little cupola on top (plate 3). Plate 1. Al-Dawr. Shrine of Imam al-Dawr (1075-90). Exterior. Plate 2. Al-Dawr. Shrine of Imam al-Dawr. Detail of squinch. (Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are by the author.) This content downloaded from 131.130.92.203 on Thu, 03 Dec 2015 10:52:28 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUQARNAS DOME 63 Plate 3. Al-Dawr. Shrine of Imam al-Dawr. Interior of dome. It would have been quite feasible to build a smooth friendly links with the caliphate.13 Third, although no dome after the squinch zone, but a deliberate choice early muqarnas domes are preserved in Baghdad, two was made instead to continue the intricate layering of miniatures, one dated 873 (1468) and the other 944 eight-celled muqarnas tiers until the desired height and (1537) show bird's-eye views of the city with numerous complexity were reached. Structurally, the effect is to muqarnas domes (plates 4-5). Taken together, these make the dome appear insubstantial, as the play of light suggest that Baghdad might have been the center in on its intricate surfaces dissolves its mass. This visual which the muqarnas dome originated. It was certainly a display, totally missing in Seljuq Iranian domes, is one very common feature of the cityscape by the late of the most important features of muqarnas vaults. medieval period.14 This earliest muqarnas dome, appearing as it does in It is curious therefore that the next dated examples of a small village of little historical significance, is unlikely the muqarnas dome are not from Baghdad at all, nor to have been the first of its kind or the model for all later are they from anywhere in Iraq, but come from such muqarnas domes. First of all, because Islamic architec- diverse places as Damascus, Palermo, Fez, and Tin- ture prospered mainly in cities, it is in cities that one mal. All date from the twelfth century. Possibly the should look for major innovations. Second, Muslim ibn earliest example is in the mosque of the Qarawiyyin at Quraysh, the patron of the shrine, was in certain Fez; it dates from the restoration under the Murabitun respects a vassal of the Abbasid caliph, and despite his (Almoravid) dynasty between 1135 and 1140. The Shicite inclinations, maintained strong and generally whole axial nave of this mosque is covered by a series of This content downloaded from 131.130.92.203 on Thu, 03 Dec 2015 10:52:28 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 64 YASSER TABBAA " ip :p-i- ):d ;;J ; ------'-S: ;e ?-a:? Plate 5. View of Baghdad. Matrakqi, Beyan-i Menazil-i Sefer-i ?Irdkeyn (1537). Plate 4. "Flood of Baghdad," from a dispersed Turcoman are the earliest of their manuscript (1468). British Library Add.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Sasanian Tradition in ʽabbāsid Art: Squinch Fragmentation As The
    The Sasanian Tradition in ʽAbbāsid Art: squinch fragmentation as The structural origin of the muqarnas La tradición sasánida en el arte ʿabbāssí: la fragmentación de la trompa de esquina como origen estructural de la decoración de muqarnas A tradição sassânida na arte abássida: a fragmentação do arco de canto como origem estrutural da decoração das Muqarnas Alicia CARRILLO1 Abstract: Islamic architecture presents a three-dimensional decoration system known as muqarnas. An original system created in the Near East between the second/eighth and the fourth/tenth centuries due to the fragmentation of the squinche, but it was in the fourth/eleventh century when it turned into a basic element, not only all along the Islamic territory but also in the Islamic vocabulary. However, the origin and shape of muqarnas has not been thoroughly considered by Historiography. This research tries to prove the importance of Sasanian Art in the aesthetics creation of muqarnas. Keywords: Islamic architecture – Tripartite squinches – Muqarnas –Sasanian – Middle Ages – ʽAbbāsid Caliphate. Resumen: La arquitectura islámica presenta un mecanismo de decoración tridimensional conocido como decoración de muqarnas. Un sistema novedoso creado en el Próximo Oriente entre los siglos II/VIII y IV/X a partir de la fragmentación de la trompa de esquina, y que en el siglo XI se extendió por toda la geografía del Islam para formar parte del vocabulario del arte islámico. A pesar de su importancia y amplio desarrollo, la historiografía no se ha detenido especialmente en el origen formal de la decoración de muqarnas y por ello, este estudio pone de manifiesto la influencia del arte sasánida en su concepción estética durante el Califato ʿabbāssí.
    [Show full text]
  • The Making of Seljuk Patterns on Curved Surfaces
    Bridges Finland Conference Proceedings Geometric Patterns as Material Things: The Making of Seljuk Patterns on Curved Surfaces Begüm Hamzaoğlu* Architectural Design Computing Program, Istanbul Technical University Taşkışla, Taksim, Istanbul, 34437, Turkey E-mail: [email protected] Mine Özkar Department of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University Taşkışla, Taksim, Istanbul, 34437, Turkey Email: [email protected] Abstract There is very little information today on the historical techniques that medieval craftsmen used to apply the intricate geometric patterns on architectural surfaces. This paper focuses on the particular problem of applying geometric patterns on curved stone surfaces and explores possible technical application scenarios for a select group of 13th century Anatolian patterns. We illustrate hypothetical processes of how to apply three patterns on three different types of curved surfaces and discuss the relation between the surface geometry and the tools. Our main motivation is to shed light on how the geometric construction of the designs and the making of these patterns correlate. Introduction Geometric patterns consisting of polygons, stars and lines were used as ornaments on monumental building façades in medieval Anatolia, also known as the Seljuk period. The style was widely common throughout the larger region at the time. The question of how these intricate designs were constructed geometrically has drawn the attention of many interdisciplinary studies [1][2][3][4]. However, only a few of these studies focus on how abstract patterns were transformed into the material things that they are whether carved into stone, tiled in brick or ceramic, or arranged in wood using special crafting techniques [5]. Materials, tools and all other components of the making process such as the craftsman’s hand movements are all factors in the formation of the shapes.
    [Show full text]
  • Arh 362: Islamic Art
    ARH 362: ISLAMIC ART CLUSTER REQUIREMENT: 4C, THE NATURE OF GLOBAL SOCIETY COURSE DESCRIPTION This course surveys the art and architecture of the Islamic world from the 7th through the 20th centuries. By looking at major themes and regional variations of Islamic art and architecture, the course examines how meanings in various socio-political and historical contexts have been encoded through forms, functions, as well as the aesthetic features of arts, crafts, and the built environment. The last portion of the course, spanning the 19th to the late 20th centuries, examines the West’s discovery of the Islamic arts as well as the integration of Western ideas into indigenous ones. This course can only briefly address some of the major themes. The topics (especially those pertinent to the modern period) are introduced through a number of key readings, but they should be merely seen as introductions, providing possible directions for future and more advanced studies. Discussions and questions are always encouraged. The readings, which have been selected to supplement the required textbooks, are particularly chosen to serve this purpose. COURSE-SPECIFIC OUTCOMES Gain valuable information about Islamic art and design as well as the cultures that gave shape to them Read critically and interpret and evaluate art historical issues in relation to socio-political conditions in non-Western contexts Develop a foundation for writing good critical essays about non-Western art and material culture Research non-Western art in a museum context Comparative studies of Western and Non-Western styles in a variety of media, including 2D and 3D art and design as well as architecture.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aesthetics of Islamic Architecture & the Exuberance of Mamluk Design
    The Aesthetics of Islamic Architecture & The Exuberance of Mamluk Design Tarek A. El-Akkad Dipòsit Legal: B. 17657-2013 ADVERTIMENT. La consulta d’aquesta tesi queda condicionada a l’acceptació de les següents condicions d'ús: La difusió d’aquesta tesi per mitjà del servei TDX (www.tesisenxarxa.net) ha estat autoritzada pels titulars dels drets de propietat intel·lectual únicament per a usos privats emmarcats en activitats d’investigació i docència. No s’autoritza la seva reproducció amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva difusió i posada a disposició des d’un lloc aliè al servei TDX. No s’autoritza la presentació del s eu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX (framing). Aquesta reserva de drets afecta tant al resum de presentació de la tesi com als seus continguts. En la utilització o cita de parts de la tesi és obligat indicar el nom de la persona autora. ADVERTENCIA. La consulta de esta tesis queda condicionada a la aceptación de las siguientes condiciones de uso: La difusión de esta tesis por medio del servicio TDR (www.tesisenred.net) ha sido autorizada por los titulares de los derechos de propiedad intelectual únicamente para usos privados enmarcados en actividades de investigación y docencia. No se autoriza su reproducción con finalidades de lucro ni su difusión y puesta a disposición desde un sitio ajeno al servicio TDR. No se autoriza la presentación de su contenido en una ventana o marco ajeno a TDR (framing). Esta reserva de derechos afecta tanto al resumen de presentación de la tesis como a sus contenidos.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Understanding the Architectural Landscape and Construction Technology in a Complex of Historical Tombs from the Thirteenth Century
    A Study of Understanding the Architectural Landscape and Construction Technology in a Complex of Historical Tombs from the Thirteenth Century 1- Mohsen Keyhanpoor* 2- Shaghayegh Torkzaban 1-Director of Architecture and Historic Preservation Departments, “School of Art and Architecture, Sistan & Baluchestan University, Iran” 2-Master of historic preservation Abstract Architecture structural Knowledge had a logical process during the time, that beside its sustainable and repeatable nature it also experienced many innovative features. Certainly, lots of factors had effected this innovative process including economical, Geographical (Climatic), technical knowledge, cultural, aesthetic and in some cases even the most famous and successful constructions from a certain time. Regarding to this issue there are also some constructions that despite all their similarities in contemporaneously, material, function, and climate, they shaped out in many different methods of design, architecture, and decorations. With considering these similarities and all other common factors in buildings, here the point is that what is the source of these concepts, construction, and decoration differences in inside and outside of the buildings? This question was studied in an adobe architectural construction so called a complex of historical tombs from thirteenth century located in city of Jalq, Saravan County from Baluchestan region in Iran. What can be pointed out as an acceptable respond to this issue is that former architects noticing concepts like perspective, understanding material and building structural behaviors, in addition to their high-level knowledge in landscape design and environment, had used structural and constructional technologies to develop design progress. Key words: Landscape and Environmental Design, Perspective, Structural Behavior, Adobe construction.
    [Show full text]
  • Arch 150 Appreciation of Architecture 1 Fall 2016 • Prof
    Arch 150 Appreciation of Architecture 1 Fall 2016 • Prof. Alex Anderson Test 4 Study Guide (test available Thurs 12/8 at 6:00 pm until Sat 12/10 at 6:00 pm) The test is open book. You may use any resource you like, as long as you work on your own. It is 30 questions, 40 minutes. Lectures Covered: Construction 2 Byzantine and Carolingian Early Islamic Romanesque Gothic Readings in the text: Pages 133-46, 153-160, 172-175, 177-249 Buildings (quite a few buildings in a few lectures!): Construction 2: Fontenay Abbey Don’t worry about specific buildings St. Michael Hildesheim Concentrate on terms and ideas St. Sernin, Toulouse St. Foy, Conques Byzantine and Carolingian: Santiago de Compastella Old St. Peter’s, Rome Speyer Cathedral Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome St. Etienne, Caen Santa Costanza, Rome Durham Cathedral Orthodox Baptistery, Ravenna San Miniato al Monte, Florence Hagia Sophia, Constantinople St. Front, Périgueux San Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna Pisa Cathedral San Vitale, Ravenna Church San Marco, Venice Baptistery Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne, Aachen Campanile Early Islamic Gothic Ka’ba, Mecca St. Denis, Paris Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem Notre Dame, Paris Great Mosque, Damascus Notre Dame, Chartres Mosque of al-Mutawakkil, Samarra Sainte-Chapelle, Paris Great Mosque, Córdoba Carcassonne (walls) Alhambra, Granada Salisbury Cathedral Sultan Han, Kayseri Lincoln Cathedral King’s College Chapel, Cambridge Romanesque: Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence Castle Rising, Norfolk Church Dover Castle, Dover Baptistery Ávila, Spain (walls and
    [Show full text]
  • Chapels with Domes on Squinches in Sicily (XV–XVI Century): Constructive Systems and Structural Vulnerability
    Structural Studies, Repairs and Maintenance of Heritage Architecture XIII 331 Chapels with domes on squinches in Sicily (XV–XVI century): constructive systems and structural vulnerability B. Billeci1, M. Dessì1, A. M. Savia2 & M. R. Vitale2 1Laboratory of Analysis and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Department of Architecture, Design and Urbanism, Sassari University, Italy 2Department of Architecture, Catania University, Italy Abstract A series of chapels with an architectural solution of great constructive meaning arose in Sicily (Italy) between the 15th and 16th century; the so called chapels with domes on squinches. This kind of attachment between the square shape of the lower structure and the upper dome circumference is clearly distinguished from the commonly used pendentives. It represents continuity in the local constructive tradition, deriving from the Islamic and Norman heritage. Thus, we find a lot of structures with such constant elements as the squinches delimitated by recessed arches. A few remains, situated in the western part of the island and in the Val di Noto, show masonry constructive details and structural elements, which often differ from each other, both in arrangement and materials. This circumstance, also in the light of the seismic history of this territory, draws our attention to the relation between the constructive techniques and the local context in order to assess the vulnerability level. Therefore, this research aims: - at analyzing these structures from the points of view of geometry, construction, materials, resistance and damage phenomena; - at considering these buildings in the light of seismic hazard assessment; - at defining the vulnerability of these structures in relation to conservation aims.
    [Show full text]
  • The Style of Sinan's Domed Structures
    DOGAN KUBAN THE STYLE OF SINAN'S DOMED STRUCTURES Nations dissent in their taste no less in architecture than in jood and clothing. Fischer von Erlach Among the great domed buildings of the world must be the art historian. But what the documents do not pro­ included a group of Ottoman mosques dating from vide, the imagination and intelligence must fill in, and between the sixteenth and the eighteenth century, this leads unavoidably to considerable subjectivity. Ob­ whose classical physiognomies have all ultimately to be viously the paucity of documentation limits the possibi­ credited to a single man, Koca Sinan, the chief archi­ lities for accurate interpretation. tect of the Ottoman Empire for half a century (1538- The little information we do have at least tells us 88). Although Sinan's life and a number of his something about the nature of the culture in which this buildings have been written about many times, 1 regret­ architecture was produced. It was a culture in wh ich tably no adequate comprehensive presentation of his the physical world served only as a stepping stone to the architecture is available in any language. 2 Such being other, true, world. Man served God and the Sultan. It the case, one can hardly be surprised that his work was his duty to abide by the commandments of his remains largely unappreciated and that his style, faith, and he was interested in this world only insofar although synonymous with the classical age of Ottoman as it pertained to the next. He does not describe it and architecture, is almost totally ignored in general his­ never attempts to theorize about it, because everything tories of art.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenia – Georgia – Islam: a Need to Break Taboos in the Study of Medieval Architecture
    Armenia – Georgia – Islam : A Need to Break Taboos in the Study of Medieval Architecture Patrick Donabédian To cite this version: Patrick Donabédian. Armenia – Georgia – Islam : A Need to Break Taboos in the Study of Medieval Architecture. Aldo Ferrari; Stefano Riccioni; Marco Ruffilli; Beatrice Spampinato. L’arte armena : Storia critica e nuove prospettive Studies in Armenian and Eastern Christian Art 2020, 16, Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing, pp.62-112, 2020, Eurasiatica, 978-88-6969-495-0. 10.30687/978-88- 6969-469-1/005. halshs-03177703 HAL Id: halshs-03177703 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03177703 Submitted on 23 Mar 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. L’arte armena. Storia critica e nuove prospettive Studies in Armenian and Eastern Christian Art 2020 a cura di Aldo Ferrari, Stefano Riccioni, Marco Ruffilli, Beatrice Spampinato Armenia – Georgia – Islam A Need to Break Taboos in the Study of Medieval Architecture Patrick Donabédian Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LA3M, Aix-en-Provence, France Abstract Two important spheres of the history of medieval architecture in the Ana- tolia-Armenia-South-Caucasian region remain insufficiently explored due to some kind of taboos that still hinder their study.
    [Show full text]
  • Study on Dome As the Covering Component and Pendant As the Transition Component in Traditional Architecture
    Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol. 4, Issue 1 (2017) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450 Study on Dome as the Covering Component and Pendant as the Transition Component in Traditional Architecture Sibel Onat Hattap Abstract: Dome is the most commonly used covering system in Turkish and Islamic world, especially in religious and monumental structures. This structure has significantly improved particularly by the works of Mimar Sinan. Spacings remained on corners while shifting from square space to domes have been covered with some construction elements. The developments with respect to domes and pendant are examined especially over the Seljukian and Ottoman Works in the study. Keywords: Dome, Pendant, Architectural work I. INTRODUCTION Some aesthetic solutions have been searched to cover wide spacings in architecture throughout the ages and domes have been the leading solution among mostly preferred space coverings especially in religious structures. Dome is a component having been implemented since the ancient periods Fig. 1 Bursa Orhan Gazi Mosque (1392) (4) in field of architecture. Domes having a larger size throughout the historical development process experienced its essentially important development in Turkish and Islamic architecture. Dome has become an indispensible component of mosque architecture in time. Early period Ottoman buildings have been used throughout the empire period that had been constructed as a mixture of Ottoman culture and local architecture throughout two centuries after 1300. Turkish architects who had constructed small size domes previously stated to construct large size dome works especially after the conquest of Istanbul [1]. II. DOME rotating an arch 360 degree around its centerline [13].The dome's load is transmitted to the ground from the giant size four main carrier arches by means of main walls or elephant foot.
    [Show full text]
  • Dome on Squinches: an Innovation in Construction Technology of Ancient Iran
    Online Journal of Engineering Sciences and Technologies (OJEST) ISSN: 2588-6770; www.ojest.ir Vol. 2, No. 1; Winter 2019; Pages 1-4; DOI: 10.21859/ojest-02011 Dome on Squinches: An Innovation in Construction Technology of Ancient Iran Elham Saligheh Department of Architecture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. Nasibeh Badri Benam Department of Architecture, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. Received 1 February 2019 Accepted 15 March 2019 Available Online 30 March 2019 ABSTRACT Innovation in structure and construction technology was one of the valuable achievements of ancient architects all over the world. There was no structural separation of architectural elements in the ancient buildings of Iran. Domes are of among the important innovations in ancient architecture that were usually built over important spaces or in special buildings. The three dimensional form of dome was a tool to distinguish the significant building from other routine buildings in a city and turn it into a landmark in the urban silhouette. Iranian master builders had introduced an architectural innovation which had an imperishable effect on dome technology in the Middle East and Central Asia; surmounting a dome on squinches. The present study is an overview on the nature and function of squinche and the construction process of vaults and domes built on squinches. Several significant buildings constructed by the mentioned technology are also introduced in this article. Keywords: construction; dome; squinch; vault. Introduction Domes differ considerably in type and shape. Persian Innovation has always been the most important driving domes and vaults are commonly well-known due to their force in design and construction of built environment, various typologies, proportion of components, specific especially dominant buildings in ancient civilizations all forms, and graceful designs.
    [Show full text]
  • Mark Schneider “Self-Invention and Deviance: Philibert De L'orme's Role
    11 Self-Invention and Deviance: Philibert de l’Orme’s Role in the Creation of the Savant Professional Architect Mark Schneider On entering the dark, tunnel-like passage at 8 Rue Juiverie, which leads to the court of Philibert de l’Orme’s Hotel Bullioud (1536) in Lyons, it is first necessary to pass the entrance to a more ancient court with rib vaults supporting balconies in the Gothic manner. Philibert de l’Orme, Hotel Bullioud, Lyons 1536: ribbed vaults (left); entry passage (center); conical trompe (right). If one takes the time to negotiate this winding passage with the care it demands, it will be realized that to do so is literally to recapitulate, at one of the places where it first occurred in France, the transition from the outlook of the medieval master mason to the viewpoint of the modern architect. From this experience, one might easily imagine that the architecture of the French Renaissance had its origin in some new and unprecedented artistic intention, but consulting de l’Orme’s treatises, the Nouvelles Inventions pour bien bastir et à petits fraiz (New Inventions for Building Well at Little Cost) (1561) and the Premier Tome de l’Architecture (First Volume on Architecture), (1567), provides startling evidence to the contrary.[1] The son of an ambitious master mason, de l’Orme had been well prepared to revolt against 11 Discoveries 25.1 (2008): 11-28 12 the traditional authority of the masonic guilds by his father who had him schooled in Latin so that he might obtain a better position by entering the church where, indeed, he eventually became an abbé.
    [Show full text]