Muqarnas

Muqarnas in the Alhambra Palace, Granada , Spain Muqarnas (Arabic: مقرنص) 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 . Muqarnas takes 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 . 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. It involves three-dimensional architectural decorations composed of niche-like elements arranged in tiers. The two-dimensional projection of muqarnas vaults consists of a small variety of simple geometrical elements. The earliest example of muqarnas can be found near Samarra , Iraq, at Sharaf al-Dawla Mausoleum, also known as Imam Dur Mausoleum, the Uqaylid ruler. Examples can be found in the Alhambra in Granada , Spain, the Abbasid Palace in Baghdad , and the mausoleum of Sultan Qaitbay , Cairo , Egypt . A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (2nd ed.).

Muqarnas in the iwan entrance to the Shah Mosque in Isfahan , Iran Muqarnas on the underside of an arch, Alhambra Palace , Granada , Spain , likely in carved plaster. Muqarnas corbel , Qutb Minar , India The muqarnas ( ; ) is a form of architectural ornamented vaulting , the "geometric subdivision of a squinch , or cupola , or corbel , into a large number of miniature squinches, producing a sort of cellular structure", sometimes also called "honeycomb" vaults from their resemblance to these. They are used for domes, and especially half-domes in entrances and apses , mostly in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture. When some elements project downwards, the style may be called mocárabe ; these are reminiscent of stalactites , and are may be called "stalactite vaults". Muqarnas developed around the middle of the 10th century in northeastern Iran and almost simultaneously — but seemingly independently — in central North Africa. Examples can be found in the Alhambra in Granada , Spain , the Abbasid Palace in Baghdad , Iraq , and the mausoleum of Sultan Qaitbay , Cairo , Egypt . Large rectangular roofs in wood with muqarnas-style decoration adorn the 12th century Cappella Palatina in Palermo , Sicily , and other important buildings in Norman Sicily . They are also found in Armenian architecture . A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Paperback) (2nd ed.).

Islamic architectural feature Decorative muqarnas vaulting in the iwan entrance to the Shah Mosque in Isfahan , Iran Muqarnas ( ; ), known in Iranian architecture as Ahoopāy ( ) and in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe , is a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture . It is the archetypal form of Islamic architecture, integral to the vernacular of Islamic buildings. The muqarnas structure originated from the squinch . Sometimes called "honeycomb vaulting" or "stalactite vaulting", the purpose of muqarnas is to create a smooth, decorative zone of transition in an otherwise bare, structural space. This structure gives the ability to distinguish between the main parts of a building, and serve as a transition from the walls of a room into a domed ceiling. Muqarnas is significant in Islamic architecture because its elaborate form is a symbolic representation of universal creation by God. Muqarnas architecture is featured in domes, half-dome entrances, iwans and apses . The two main types of muqarnas are the North African/Middle Eastern style, composed of a series of downward triangular projections, and the Iranian style, composed of connecting tiers of segments. The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria : sunnis, shi'is and the architecture of coexistence .

Islamic architectural feature For the academic journal, see Muqarnas (journal) . Muqarnas vaulting in the iwan entrance to the Shah Mosque in Isfahan , Iran (17th century) Muqarnas dome in the Sala de Dos Hermanas at the Alhambra in Granada , Spain (14th century) Muqarnas ( ; , or ), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe , is a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture . It is the archetypal form of Islamic architecture, integral to the vernacular of Islamic buildings. It was most likely first developed in eleventh-century Iraq , though the earliest preserved examples are also found outside this region. The muqarnas structure originated from the squinch . Sometimes called "honeycomb vaulting" or "stalactite vaulting", the purpose of muqarnas is to create a smooth, decorative zone of transition in an otherwise bare, structural space. This structure gives the ability to distinguish between the main parts of a building, and serve as a transition from the walls of a room into a domed ceiling. Muqarnas architecture is featured in domes, half-dome entrances, iwans and apses . The two main types of muqarnas are the North African/Middle Eastern style, composed of a series of downward triangular projections, and the Iranian style, composed of connecting tiers of segments. The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria : sunnis, shi'is and the architecture of coexistence . The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture .