Historical and geometrical analysis of muqarnas and prospect of its reflection on today’s architecture

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2017

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Imani, Elena

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Muqarnas, one of the key elements in Islamic architecture, is a three-dimensional element that is mostly used in religious buildings for decorating vaults, niches, porches and domes. Muqarnas initially was used as a functional element to provide a gradual and smooth transition between two levels, two sizes or two shapes in buildings, but over time, various Muqarnas patterns have developed and acquired ornamental features. After the developments achieved in digital art and architecture, Muqarnas compositions became the source of inspiration for many designers who try to generate alternative two and three-dimensional patterns in their works. Today in architecture, there is a developing tendency to re-generate Muqarnas compositions through digital technologies in order to benefit from historical patterns of Muqarnas either in facades or interior decorations of modern buildings. Following a historical research on the types, forms, and elements of Muqarnas in architectural works in Islamic countries this thesis aims, firstly, to analyze and explore vi the geometrical characteristics of Muqarnas focusing on two dimensional motif-based and layer-based properties. The selected modern examples of Muqarnas forms are analyzed, similarly, in geometrical terms, as some cases, in order to find out the similarities /dissimilarities between modern and historical Muqarnas examples. It is the claim of this thesis that the patterns of historical Muqarnas compositions have their own geometrical characteristics that can be considered as unique guidelines of Muqarnas patterns that are used intentionally or unintentionally in today’s architecture. It is claimed, also, in this thesis that apart from some similarities of appearances the geometrical and constructional realization of the historical Muqarnas patterns are completely different from the modern ones due to generative design formation in digital medium.

Subject Keywords

Art, Islamic., Architecture, Islamic., Architecture, Medieval., Decoration and ornament, Medieval.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12621155/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/26662

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

E. Imani, “Historical and geometrical analysis of muqarnas and prospect of its reflection on today’s architecture,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2017.