The Carved Stone Ornament of the Mosque of al-Ḥākim
by Terry Allen
published by Solipsist Press, Occidental, California, 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Terry Allen
An electronic publication
ISBN 0-944940-12-9
Table of Contents
The Introduction and the Chapters
are provided as separate files with
their own tables of contents, for quicker retrieval. This is the
main Table of Contents. To navigate between introduction and
chapters, and among chapters,
return here.
- Introduction
- The Mosque of al-Ḥākim
- Terminology
- Exterior Color in the Mosque of al-Ḥākim
- Chapter One. The Main Entrance Frieze and the Palmette Frieze of the Northern Minaret
- The Main Entrance Frieze
- Foliage
- The Combination of Foliage and Geometry
- The Lower Register
- Detailed Description of the Lower
Register
- The Upper Register
-
Detailed Description of the
Foliate Elements
- Detailed Description of the
Bands in the Upper Register
- Detailed Description of the
Overall Topology
- The Composition of the Frieze
- Detailed Description of the
Fitting of the Pattern to the Structure
- Summary of the Main Entrance Frieze
- The Palmette Frieze of the Northern Minaret
- Detailed Description of the Palmette Frieze
- Summary of the Palmette Frieze
- The Palmette Frieze and the Main Entrance Frieze
- Chapter Two. The Window Frames of the Northern Minaret's Cylindrical Section
- Two-Halved Frames
- The Third Register
- The Fifth Register
- The Seventh Register
- The Window Facing West
- Detailed Description of
the Frame of the Window Facing West
- The Window Facing North
- Detailed Description of the Frame of the Window Facing North
- The Window Facing East
- Summary of the Window Frames of the Seventh
Register
- Sources
- Rectangular Window Treatment
- Two-Halved Frames and Foliate Frames
- Variation in Ascending Foliate Patterns
- Chapter Three. Direct Integration of Foliate and Geometric Elements
of Ornament
- Direct Integration of Foliate and Geometric Elements
of Ornament in Spanish Umayyad Architecture
- Other Spanish Umayyad Comparative Material
- Great Mosque of Cordoba Mosaics
- Ivory Casket
- Water Trough
- Possible Earlier Sources for Direct Integration of Foliate and Geometric Elements
of Ornament
- Madīnah al-Zahrā' and the Mosque of al-Ḥākim
- From Cordoba to Cairo
- The Mihrab of the Great Mosque of Qayrawān
- Chapter Four. The Friezes of the Western Minaret
- The Frieze of the Tenth Register
- Detailed Description of the Frieze of the Tenth Register
- The Southeast Side of the Frieze of the Tenth Register
- Summary of the Frieze of the Tenth Register
- The Frieze of the Third Register
- The Overall Construction of the Design
- Detailed Description of the Frieze of the Third
Register
- Summary of the Frieze of the Third Register
- Two Friezelike “Cresting” Designs of the Western
Minaret
- The Parapet
- The Frieze of the Sixteenth Register
- The Frieze on the Southeast Side of the Eighth Register
- Chapter Five. The Window Screens and Balustrades of the Northern Minaret
- The Window Screens of the Third Register
- The Screen of the Window Facing North
- The Screen of the Window Facing West
- Balustrades of the Seventh Register
- The Balustrade of the Window Facing West
- The Balustrade of the Window Facing North
- Chapter Six. Field Designs
- Rotated Squares
- Rotated Squares in the Main Entrance
- Rotated Squares in the Western Minaret
- Southwest Side
- Northwest Side
- The Niche Heads of the Main Entrance
- The Southeastern Niche Head
- The Northwestern Niche Head
- Summary of the Niche Heads
- The Medallions of the Northern Minaret
- The Medallions of the Socle of the
Northern Minaret
- The Medallions of the Second Register of the Northern
Minaret
- The Medallions of the Eighth Register of the Northern
Minaret
- Summary of the Medallions
- The Niched Room in the Western Minaret
- The Ceiling
- The Spandrels
- Pentagrams
- Chapter Seven. Foliate Bands and Borders
- The Entrance to the Staircase
of the Western Minaret
- Dentil Borders
- The Lower Cornice of the Main Entrance
- The Dentil Borders of the Seventh and Eighth Registers
of the Western Minaret
- The Border of the Upper Zone of the Main Entrance
- Borders of S-Shaped Foliate Elements
- The Bands of the Second and Fourth Registers
of the Western Minaret
- The Bands of the Fourth Register of the Northern Minaret's Cylindrical Section
- The Border of the Northwestern Rotated Square of the Main
Entrance
- The Borders of the Rotated Squares of the Western Minaret
- The Band of the Twelfth Register
of the Western Minaret
- A Border with Intertwining Stems
and Upright Elements
- Borders with Stems Running Continuously
- The Band of Repeated Palmettes of the Main Entrance
- Borders of Undulating Stems with Alternate Trefoil Leaves
- The Window Facing West in the
Third Register of the Northern Minaret's Cylindrical Section
- The Window Facing North in the
Third Register of the
Northern Minaret's Cylindrical Section
- The Arches of the Main Entrance Niches
- The Foliate Borders of the Niched Room Spandrels
- The Undersides of the Moldings of the Ninth and
Tenth Registers of the Western Minaret
- Borders Composed of an Undulating Foliated Grooved Stem Atop a
Fleshy but Ungrooved Stem
- A Fragment in the Eleventh Register of the Western Minaret
- Summary of the Foliate
Borders
- Chapter Eight. Geometric Bands and Borders
- Simple Intertwinings
- The Borders of the Fifth and Sixth
Registers of the Western Minaret
- The Middle Register of the Lower Cornice of the Main Entrance
- The Band of the Thirteenth Register
of the Western Minaret
- The Band of the Fifteenth Register of the
Western Minaret
- The Band of the Eleventh
Register of the Western Minaret
- The Borders of the Niched Room
- The Band of the Fourteenth Register of the Western
Minaret
- The Border of the Socle of the
Northern Minaret
- The Border of the Southeastern Rotated Square of the Main Entrance
- The Border of One of the Rotated Squares of the Western
Minaret
- The Upper Register of the Upper
Cornice of the Main Entrance
- The Frame of the Window Facing
East of the Third Register of the Northern Minaret
- Summary of the Geometric
Borders
- Chapter Nine. Ornamented Inscriptions
- Chapter Ten. The Carved Stone Ornament as a Whole
- Ornamental Ensembles
- The Main Entrance and Its Ensembles
- The Ornamental Ensembles of the Minarets
- The Ornamental Ensembles of the Window Frames
- The Ornamental Ensembles of the Minaret Field Designs
- Styles of Carving
- Architects and Designers
- The Originality of the Ornament
- Originality in Architectonic Composition
- Originality in Interlacing
- Originality in Foliate Border Construction
- Originality in Geometric Border Usage
- Originality in Use of Geometry
- The Significance of Errors
- The Carved Stone Ornament and Later Islamic Art
- Later Examples of Direct Integration of Foliate and Geometric Elements
of Ornament
- The Separation of Foliate and Geometric Ornament