“Muqarnas in Damascus: A Forgotten Treasure’s History, Inception and Geometry”

Abstract

The architecture of the Islamic world encompasses both religious and secular buildings that are unified by the use of a common architectural language, which includes architectural elements such as minarets, domes and arches, ornamental details, and vaulting with the use of muqarnas. The study provides a broad overview of the development of Islamic architecture, focusing on Damascus, the early Islamic period, the mid-Islamic period and the late Islamic period. The late Islamic period includes Ottoman art, with architecture influenced by Byzantine, Persian, Armenian, and Mamluk artefacts, but differs from their predecessors. The researcher undertook a geometric analysis of the muqarnas domes of al-Madrasa al-Nuriyya al-Kubra, the eastern entrance of the Citadel, the Madrasa-al-Zâhirîyah, and the Umayyad Mosque in 3D. The creation of muqarnas today in Damascus is discussed, the researcher having communicated with craftsmen in the Radwan and Yaser workshops of the city.