Muqarnas: vaults of prefabricated niches
Mocárabes (muqarnas): bóvedas de nichos prefabricados
- Date
- c. 1050 · confidence low
- Place
- Al-Dur, Saladin, Iraq
- Credited to
- Seljuk-era architects and craftsmen of Iraq and Iran
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A vault of small prismatic, concave cells arranged in stepped rows that turn a square plan into a dome and carry the weight to the corners. It was drawn from plan templates and allowed prefabricated pieces in plaster, brick or stone.
Its origin is disputed: Iraq (Imam Dur mausoleum, 1085), eastern Iran (Arab Ata mausoleum, Tim, 977) and the Maghreb (Qal'at Bani Hammad, Algeria, 11th century) are all cited. Which came first is unknown.
What it led to
- three-dimensional decoration of mosques, madrasas and palaces of Islam
- muqarnas vaults of the Alhambra and Dome of the Rock
- standardisation of architectural pieces through templates and geometric drawings