The origin of the islamic ribbed vaults famed in North Africa and Spain

Abstract

Islamic Architecture went through several periods of time. During its peak, numerous Islamic dynasties had been developed which resulted in the creation of new forms of architecture. When Islam started rising, it focused on spreading its faith among people in the Arabian Peninsula. Later, it concentrated on expanding to neighbourhood districts outside the Arabian Peninsula reaching Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Iran, North Africa and parts of Europe. These expansions developed rapid transformation in Architecture. The enormous extent of the Islamic Empire had developed independent dynasties over time. Each independent dynasty had a central political and geographical location, which created an individual art in architecture. These dynasties created a recognized architectural designs and methodologies, some influenced by previous Civilizations, some influenced by the characteristics of the regions in which they developed and some follows the influence of Islamic religious philosophies. Throughout history, new branches of Islamic beliefs had been created and new sub independent dynasties had been developed. This raise a research question to investigate on: The origin of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults, which famed in North Africa and Spain. The research paper takes a comprehensive analysis of civilizations that were founded before Islam in North Africa and Spain and resulted in the development of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults, which popped particularly during the eighth century. It also, traces the development of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults since it's initiated until it reached North Africa and Spain. Previous research papers analysed a certain period of time or region but none had traced the development of the Islamic Ribbed Vaults since its birth. To this end, the thesis investigates on the Islamic Ribbed Vaults development in Dessert Castles, Fortresses, Mosques and Mausoleums. The results of which are expected to open doors for new papers in the field of Islamic Ribbed Vaults, types, and construction Method.

The Typology of Transition Zones with Shouldered Arches in Iranian Seljuk Structures

“…The Seljuks, who dominated the Eastern Islamic territory, had a Turkic nomadic origin (Alkadi, 2016;Lapidus, 2014;Peacock, 2015). Tughril Beg, a Turkish ruler who ruled Iran from 1037 to 1063 and established his capital in Isfahan, is credited with founding the Seljuk dynasty (Abazov, 2008;Ettinghausen et al, 2001).…”

“…In Iranian architecture, squinches were the main elements of the transition zone to address this architectural challenge (Edwards and Edwards, 1999). The use of squinches is a characteristic feature of Iranian architecture, and their invention is attributed to Iranian architects (Alkadi, 2016;Arce, 2006;Creswell, 1914).…”