modenadude
The pointed arches of al-As
A design feature that can be noticed in most of the Islamic buildings in Cairo is the pointed arch, or the two-centered arch.
The main difference between a pointed arch and that of a more traditional rounded arch is that pointed arches give the illusion of more height in a building's interior.
Pointed arches are also more difficult to create. Whereas rounded arches have one central point from which the arch is built, the pointed arch needs two centers to create two different circles, which are then combined to create one arch.
Also to note, the pillars in the mosques in Cairo are almost all taken from neighboring Coptic churches. The capitals (the block at the top of a pillar) are also "taken," however because Islamic architecture forbids animal and human depiction in mosques, the designers needed to be very careful to only include stylistic capitals and designs. A heavy task for those involved in the building and renovation of this almost 1,400-year-old mosque as there are hundreds of pillars and capitals!
The pointed arches of al-As
A design feature that can be noticed in most of the Islamic buildings in Cairo is the pointed arch, or the two-centered arch.
The main difference between a pointed arch and that of a more traditional rounded arch is that pointed arches give the illusion of more height in a building's interior.
Pointed arches are also more difficult to create. Whereas rounded arches have one central point from which the arch is built, the pointed arch needs two centers to create two different circles, which are then combined to create one arch.
Also to note, the pillars in the mosques in Cairo are almost all taken from neighboring Coptic churches. The capitals (the block at the top of a pillar) are also "taken," however because Islamic architecture forbids animal and human depiction in mosques, the designers needed to be very careful to only include stylistic capitals and designs. A heavy task for those involved in the building and renovation of this almost 1,400-year-old mosque as there are hundreds of pillars and capitals!