The Illusionary Dome
The dome that is not a dome, but is instead a flat ceiling!
Although billed as a flat surface, stalactite work at the outer edge of the large circle indicates that this is not an entirely flat ceiling. I suspect that only the inner, blue part of the surface is flat but appears dome-like by the concentric circles of artwork of decreasing size. I think the expectation of a dome, also makes one see a dome, even when one is not there. As a visitor, I did not notice anything unusual (other than all the gold splendor) of this building and would not have known about the flat ceiling had I not been paying attention to my guide (a rare occurrence as I usually running off to take photos).
Tilla-Kari Medressa (at the Registan), Samarkand Uzbekistan
The Illusionary Dome
The dome that is not a dome, but is instead a flat ceiling!
Although billed as a flat surface, stalactite work at the outer edge of the large circle indicates that this is not an entirely flat ceiling. I suspect that only the inner, blue part of the surface is flat but appears dome-like by the concentric circles of artwork of decreasing size. I think the expectation of a dome, also makes one see a dome, even when one is not there. As a visitor, I did not notice anything unusual (other than all the gold splendor) of this building and would not have known about the flat ceiling had I not been paying attention to my guide (a rare occurrence as I usually running off to take photos).
Tilla-Kari Medressa (at the Registan), Samarkand Uzbekistan