squinch of qibla dome chamber, Friday mosque, Ardistan, Iran
Image details
Contributor:
B.O'Kane / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
DNFGMXFile size:
63.3 MB (3.3 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3840 x 5759 px | 32.5 x 48.8 cm | 12.8 x 19.2 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
July 2013Location:
Ardistan, IranMore information:
The current form of the mosque, consisting of a four-iwan courtyard surrounded by arcades, represents the successive work of several building periods. The earliest element was an original pre-Seljuk hypostyle mosque, into which early Seljuks inserted a dome chamber and adjacent iwan (dated 1158 and 1160 respectively). However, the arcades as they stand cannot be dated to the pre-Seljuk original, as they include domed and barrel vaults that display wide variety in brickwork, height, and shape, the supporting piers also ranging in size and shape. The iwans other than that of the sanctuary appear to be either Safavid construction or reconstruction; an inscription in the northwest iwan cites restoration in 1539. The earliest stucco fragments, found in the western corner of the courtyard, have been dated to the end of the tenth century. The interior of the dome chamber and iwan are extensively covered in plaster. The dome and zone of transition are articulated with simulated brickwork; the iwan vault is uniquely faced with a complex stucco design of interlacing arabesques. The mihrab exemplifies skilled stucco carving,
