The Development of Bricks Ornamentation from the early Islamic Centuries to the End of Kharazmshahian Period in the Architecture of Mosques in Iran (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
Tendency to show beauty and majesty in the human, arises from the beginning of artifact build ornate and beautiful. It covers Islamic architecture and decorative buildings. Decorative Islamic art, is one of the most important and effective component. The aim of this study was to investigate decorative brickwork at a number of sites in the central plateau of Iran's in Safavid period. In this article, we describe the decorative brickwork then dissolution of the decorations in the Safavid caravanserai in the central plateau, such as "Sheikh Ali", "Madarshah", "Moorchekhort" in "Isfahan" "Kenargard" in Tehran, caravanserai of "Ahovan" in "Semnan", caravanserai of "Sadrabad" in "Qom" and the caravanserai of "Shah Abbas" in Karaj will be discussed. This research is descriptive-analytic. Research tools is athletics and library. Finally, by examining the structures and the tables of compa...
Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflictology, 2024
The Seljuk period (5th-6th centuries AH) is one of the most important historical periods of Islamic Iran in various arts shaped and developed by Islamic beliefs. Brickwork is one of the Persian architectural decorations, the Seljuk period is the era of development of this art, and the dome of the Taj al-Molk of the Great Mosque of Isfahan is known as its masterpiece. The subject of this article is the flourishing of brickwork and its relationship with the cultural and religious ideas of the Seljuks about aesthetics. Historical and descriptive-analytical methods were used to study historical documents and field observations. The result shows the cultural aspects influencing the extraordinary use of decorative elements by artists in Seljuk architecture. The confirmation of the “philosophy of decoration” based on a common language in the aesthetic perception of pure Islamic Iranian art can be seen in the dome of the Taj al-Molk with its highly developed decorative elements such as brickwork, tiles, geometric patterns and Kufic scripts. Muslim artists used decoration as a decisive role in connecting the material (physical) world with the world of ideas to express their thoughts and mystical and religious ideals. With elements such as rhythm and coordination, harmony and balance, they implement their philosophical principles in action to create a new philosophy that transforms the material into a visualization of unity in multiplicity as the main ideal of the “philosophy of decoration”, the manifestation of the attributes of the One God who created the world and is the Source of beauty.
Brick as a Construction Material in the Modernization Process of the Ottoman Architecture
Advanced Materials Research, 2010
Brick used with stone in an alternate order-especially on monumental masonry buildingsis one of the basic construction materials in Ottoman classical architecture. Parallel to the announcement of Tanzimat Declaration (1839), to the political and economical relations improved with European states and to the Industrial Revolution in Europe, an effective change had been seen on design concept and construction techniques in Ottoman architecture. Many new buildings were built using modern materials and imported techniques such as solid brick (in western norms) masonry walls, steel beams at the horizontal and vertical bearers, cement and concrete. The product of modern solid bricks in western standards had been realized in Ottoman territories in the last quarter of 19 th century. The base of this research is constituted on 334 imported and local product solid bricks which remain to Zihni Göğer's (firstly documented for this research), to Uzay Yergün's, to Aynur Çiftçi's and to the Yıldız Techical University, Department of Architectural Conservation's private collections. Most of the bricks are in a good condition, clean and have stamps. From the stamps one learns where they were produced, in which country or even city, the names of the plants, the logos and the dates of product. During the documentation every brick is numerated, photographed and a catalogue is prepared including the dimensions of the bricks. The demolotion of the buildings made of solid brick masonry walls-especially those which are not registered as an essential cultural asset-the interventions undertaken and the use of new materials during restoration of bearer walls have damaged the original bricks. Finally they were not conserved and documented. The aim of this paper is to determine the change of the production and the standarts of the bricks, to indicate their varieties, their fields of use and their conservation problems before and after the modernisation period of Ottoman architecture. It is intended to take into consideration the conservation and documentation of this material during renovations reflecting the original construction technique of the period that belongs to monumental and civil architecture.
An analytic study on architectural decorations in early Islamic architecture
2014
Islamic architecture dating back to about 1400 years ago, has been affected by territories under the Islam dominance from the view point of the form as well as architectural decorations. That is why some critics has considered the form similarities as a weak point in the Islamic architecture, while others are denying any derivation in Islamic architecture and believe that its principles have been extracted from the Islam religion. In this regard, Iran as a country having a civilization which both affected and was affected on/by the adjacent civilizations may be assumed as the basis for the Islamic architecture formation at the very beginning centuries and may overcome the related ambiguities.The present article attempts to consider the effects of the pre-Islamic patterns on Islamic architectural decorations during the first to fourth centuries (Hijri). Therefore, we firstly provide definitions and concepts as requirements of such study in the field of religious art and architecture ...
Although the majority of architectural muqarnas compositions constructed during the Rūm Saljuq period in Anatolia are in stone, there is a small and poorly understood corpus of brick muqarnas to be found in central and eastern Anatolia. This paper focuses on the earliest examples, dating from the last quarter of the 12th century CE to the end of the first quarter of the 13th century CE and the aim is to document the surviving examples as well as trace their connection to each other and their Iranian antecedents. The corpus is spread across an array of structural typologies, including minarets, tombs, a palace and a hospital. The use of brick muqarnas can be seen on both brick and predominantly stone structures and in many cases the muqarnas cells are accented with glazed intarsia. In the Hospital at Sivas the muqarnas are also decorated with incised patterns in the mortar beds. This is one of only two examples in Anatolia of a technique that can be found in a number of earlier and coeval structures in Iran. By examining the muqarnas compositions’ place in the broader decorative context of the structures of which they form part, a clearer picture of the probable origins of the craftsmen who made them emerges. The paper features a number of previously unpublished plans of the muqarnas and their decoration to add to the understanding of their design and construction. The brick muqarnas are a form of architectural decoration that was not generally adopted in later Rūm Saljuq, Beylik or Ottoman architecture yet can be found on a number of prestigious and imperial structures from the early period of Islamic architectural development in Anatolia.
Use of Unglazed Brick in Monumental Architecture as an Ornamental Element
2017
Anatolia had been a region for many civilizations that built many religious and cultural monumental structures, some of them survived today. One of the most important and common materials used in these structures; which cover crucial information about the properties of these old civilizations such as their socio-cultural status, religious - administrative decisions, construction technology, traditions and lifestyles; was brick. In many monumental structures; besides its use in construction, brick was also used within the context of ornamentation; and it became one of the important ornamental elements in certain periods. Within this paper; the use of brick in Anatolia in ornamental context is studied; weaving systems, dimension, color and setup are presented in detail covering the Seljukians, principalities and early Ottoman Periods.
Curved and Layered Structures
Using decorative elements is an inseparable aspect of Iranian architecture. Architectural ornaments in many buildings, including the minarets, represent the architect’s craftsmanship. As such, the minarets in Isfahan have different types of brickwork ornamentations, such as 90-degree herringbone (Khofteh-Rasteh), basket weave bond (Hasiri), and other complex types. Additionally, the highest minarets are usually constructed in a truncated conical shape to reduce their overall weight and ameliorate their stability against the wind, and lateral forces. Therefore, while the geometric integrity of brickwork patterns should be maintained, all the ornamentations are applied on a shrinking surface area. However, the practical solutions for the construction processes in these structures haven’t been sufficiently investigated. Hence, this study aims to explore the methods of brickwork projection on the minarets and analyse the changes in girih patterns at different height levels. Accordingly,...
Archaeological Studies on Islamic Stucco Decorations in the Storage of National Museum of Iran
Stucco in the Architecture of Iran and Neighbouring Lands: New Research – New Horizons Conference Booklet, 2022
The storage of NMI (National Museum of Iran) has numerous cultural materials which were almost found during archaeological fieldwork in various regions of Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, such as Ray and Nayšāpūr. These archaeological finds include small fragments and afull-sized panels of carved stucco as well as wall paintings. Despite the significance of these materials for the history of Iranian architecture, till now no studies have been carried out on them. The proposed study aims to fill this gap in our knowledge about these unique finds. The first goal of this research is particularly focused on a comprehensive documentation of the archaeological finds in this storage. Following the documentation, extensive research has been performed on the motifs of these stucco finds. This investigation helps us to categorize different types of these cultural materials. Such classification has been chosen according to its place of origin, place of decoration (dado, vaulting, squinch, etc.), motifs (floral, geometric, figural, and epigraphy) and technical peculiarity. Furthermore, a stylistic comparison is also executed on stucco finds in the storage of NMI and another defined stucco decorations from different parts of Iran. In conclusion, the results of this analytical study not only enable us to date some of these fragments, but also lead us to achieve a greater level of knowledge of buildings decoration in the eraly Islamic period.
Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2012
Stucco decorations are among the major decorative elements of the religious structures of the Ilkhanid period in Iran. Typical examples of these decorations are found in the mausoleum of Pir-i Bakran, located some” 30 km” southwest of Isfahan. Owing to the importance of the decorative technique and its great stucco decorations, several contemporary Islamic scholars have described the mausoleum as a real museum of the stucco art; therefore, it can be a subject for several, related scientific studies. The present paper aims at exploring the structure and themes of the stucco decorations of this building to demonstrate that religious ideas substantially inspired the origination and style of these ornaments in religious constructions, in particular mausoleums. A descriptive method was adopted in the present study, which builds on library-based research and field observations. Accordingly, proper photos were taken from the decorations and architectural spaces before linear drawings of the decorations were prepared to document the data using Illustrator CS5 and Corel Draw x5 solutions. Given successful execution of the several stucco panels coupled with proper location and composition, the results of the study reveals that the artisans of this period with their unique ingenuity were able to employ this architectural element befittingly in this building, turning it into a masterpiece of stucco work from the Ilkhanid period. Further, a deeper analysis of the themes, which apart from decorative panels using floral and geometric motifs include also frequent use of sacred religious terms and phrases, demonstrates that there was a tendency among the Iranian society under Ilkhanid to employ these themes, and on this very basis, this period can be called one of the most important periods of stucco art in terms of rendering stucco decorations with religious themes.
Iran
This paper is an investigation into the western extent of a regional school of funerary architecture that developed in the Ildegüzid ruled lands of northwest Iran in the sixth/twelfth century. The formal, decorative and epigraphic elements of two octagonal tombs, the Yūsuf ibn Kuthayyir tomb in Nakhchivan, (Azerbaijan) and the Mengücek Ghazi tomb in Kemah, (Turkey) are examined in detail. By comparing these two buildings, and demonstrating the similarities and differences, the dynamic nature of the architectural development in Anatolia in the late sixth/twelfth century may be better understood.