Tiles of Infinity
When Peter J. Lu visited Uzbekistan as a Harvard University graduate student in 2005, he found himself unexpectedly captivated by the complex tile patterns of a 15-th century Madrasa, or Islamic religious school,…
Walls of Isfahan
Related articles Imam (Shah) Mosque in Isfahan, Iran (islamic-arts.org) Jameh Mosque of Isfahan (islamic-arts.org) Sheikh Lutf Allah Mosque (islamic-arts.org) schematic Isfahan Imam square iwan isfahan quranic ornament arabic mosaic
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
The Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān (Persian: مسجد جامع اصفهان – Masjid-e-Jāmeh Isfahān) is the grand, congregational mosque (Jāmeh) of Isfahān city, within Isfahān Province, Iran. The mosque is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site…
The Room of Sultan Uljeitu
The Room of Sultan Muhammad Khodabandeh Uljeitu (r. 1304-17) in the Jameh Mosque (Isfahan), is home to one of the mosque’s greatest treasures – an exquisite stucco mihrabawash with dense Quranic inscriptions and floral designs….
Walls of Yazd, Iran
Yazd is of foremost importance as a centre of fine Persian mosaics and beautiful architecture. The Yazd walls demonstrate a visual continuity in color, scale and form with the built fabric of the…
Herat Masjid, Afghanistan
The Masjid-i Jami of Herat, the city’s first congregational mosque, was built on the site of two smaller Ghaznavid mosques that were destroyed by earthquake and fire. The present mosque was begun by…
Shah-i Zinda Necropolis
The Shah-i Zinda (lit. “the Living King”) is a funerary complex, located on the south side of the Afrasiyab hill in the city of Samarqand. The focal point of the complex is the…
Kasbah of Telouet
The Kasbah, architecturally speaking, are imposing buildings with a square base and towers that rise above the height of the perimeter walls. The kasbah are composed of bricks made of clay mixed with water…
Qa’it Bay Sabil in Cairo
The splendor of Cairo’s sabils probably reached its height with that of the illustrious Sultan Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa’it Bay, who ruled from 1468 to 1496. Very large for a sabil, Qa’it Bay’s…
The Giralda (La Giralda)
Modern Seville is a city of the Renaissance – the most Italian of Spanish cities, said a Venetian ambassador in the 16th century – and above all a city of the baroque, a…
Elegant Solutions
It was during a dinner party in 1972 that I heard my host announce the completion of a film on “the greatest architect of the century, Hassan Fathy.” All I could think was,…
Qalawun complex in Cairo, Egypt
The Qalawun complex (Arabic: مجمع قلاون) in Cairo, Egypt includes a madrasa, a hospital and a mausoleum. It was built by the Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun in the 1280s; some thirty surviving mosques were built during his time. The Qalawun Complex was built over the…
