muqarnas
A muqarna (pl. muqarnas) (Arabic:مقرنس) is a type of corbel used as a decorative device in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture. The term is similar to mocárabe, but mocárabe only refers to designs with formations resembling stalactites, by the use of elements known as alveole.[1][2]
They take the form of small pointed niches, stacked in tiers projecting beyond those below and can be constructed in brick, stone, stucco or wood. They are often applied to domes, pendentives, cornices, squinches and the undersides of arches and vaults.[1]
Muqarnas is the Arabic word for stalactite vault, an architectural ornament developed around the middle of the tenth century in
north eastern Iran and almost simultaneously, but apparently independently, in central North Africa. A muqarna is a
three-dimensional architectural decoration composed of niche-like elements arranged in tiers. The two-dimensional projection of a
muqarna's vault consists of a small variety of simple geometrical elements.
Excellent examples can be found in the Alhambra in Granada,
Spain and the mausoleum of Sultan Qaitbay, Cairo,
Egypt.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Curl, James Stevens [2006]. A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Paperback), Second (in English), Oxford University Press, 880 pages. ISBN 0-19-860678-8.
- ^ Armenian architectural glossary
External sources
- Muqarnas : A Three-dimensional Decoration of Islam Architecture.
- Abstract, Nexus 2004, Muqarnas, Construction and Reconstruction
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