Overview

The muqarnas, a Muslim variety of stalactite vault, is a primary characteristic of Islamic architecture. Developed during the mid-tenth century in both northeastern Iran and central North Africa, two ends of the sprawling expanse that constituted the Dar al-Islam, the muqarnas, with its honeycomb texture, became a common feature in palaces and temples. Indeed, it became a prominent feature in nearly all Islamic structures from the eleventh century on, persisting as a key element of the Islamic architectural vernacular until modern times.

The muqarnas is a form that embodies the ideals of Islamic civilization: its physical form, characterized by fluidity and replication, is based as much on Islamic theological principles as it is on the more mundane principles of structural engineering.

Background

There are four main attributes of the muqarnas that distinguish its...