ANATOMY OF

DOME
HISTORY OF ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
SEMESTER4

SUBMITTED BY
PRIYANKA CHANDRAKAR 21122021
SHREYA MESHRAM 21122027
The DOME?
Dome is a hemispherical structure evolved from the arch, usually forming a ceiling or
roof.
Domes started to appear in small buildings such as round huts in the Middle East, India
and Mediterranean.
It was the Romans who introduced the hemispherical structure which was evolved from
arch which formed a ceiling or roof.
Later on the evolution on structure of dome was done by Byzantine architects they
invented the technique domes on piers, permitting lighting and communication from four
directions.
After this Domes got a lot of popularity during Europe Renaissance and Baroque Period.
 Abstract
The dome is considered as one of the most important architectural
elements in the architecture of mosques in particular, and Islamic
architecture
The use of domes in Islamic architecture started from the Umayyad
period in Jerusalem in 691 AD. The first dome of islamic
architecture, the Dome of the Rock, was made by the Arab Muslims
under the reign of Abd Al-Malik ibn Marwan. It was made with
THE FIRST-EVER PHOTOGRAPH OF rotunda wood(an idea taken from the Byzantines) but later,
THE DOME OF THE ROCK
1842–44 Suleiman the Magnificent beautified it with marble pieces.
The continued use of domes in Islamic architecture, in its various
forms, led to the development of domes' concept among Muslim
architects to become one of the most important architectural
elements in the Islamic Architecture because of its transcendental
symbolism.
The dome is an important element in studying the Islamic architecture.

In order to study the construction of the dome, it is an essential to address its

historical background and the characteristics of their basic architectural
prototypes

It has been the architectural form of choice wherever the

efficiency and strength of a structure, were required because a
dome is the most practical construction system.

From the simple igloo that shelters the Arctic hunter through the
ravages of a blinding storm, and all the way to the impressive
constructions of the modern time, the dome has been used in
every culture, on every continent, as one of man's most versatile
constructions.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DOME IN ARCHITECTURE
The dome is one of the most practical construction system.
Firstly, a sphere requires the smallest amount of material surface area needed to enclose a given
volume of space.
Secondly, the dome has approximately one-third less surface area to the outside, than a
parallelepiped with the same area. The shape of the dome provides an aerodynamic effect; wind
passes over the dome with less resistance.
Thirdly, the nature of the spherical design provides strength because all the points of the structure
share the stress evenly. The dome shape allows environmental stress such as movement from an
earthquake or wind or stress from snow loading to be evenly distributed throughout the structure.

In paleolith times there were dwellings on the open

territory – big round or oval houses with the frame made
of bones of large animals. On the outside the frame was
covered with animal skins; the roof had the dome-shaped
form.
People have constructed the first stationary house only when the epoch of agriculture had begun.
Nearby upper reaches of the r. Jordan, in a valley named Vady en-Natuf, probably one of the first
houses was found: huts had wooden doors; the floor usually was clay, and a dome-shaped roof,
made of a specially curved thatch covered by clay (Hamdouni 2001).

The house in Kirokitiya, see Figure 2, on Cyprus was

constructed three millenniums earlier than the
Knossos palace. Houses of such dome type till now
are built in Syria, Iraq, and Morocco (Robbe 1978).
Walls and columns of the house were of stone, the
dome - of clay bricks, overlapping of the second
floorof wood. On Cyprus in the middle of VI
millennium BC about a thousand of such houses
were constructe

Add a subheadingPrevailing of oval compositions in the dwellings architecture, and later (since
Neolithic epoch) also in the settlements, as the latest researches show, had been caused, as it is
assumed, not only by ecological reasons, but also by myth-ritual concepts. Since ancient times
people, possibly, started viewing a dome as a sacral symbol of the heavenly arch, because on the sky
they settled the first gods
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DOME IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
The dome in the Arabic language, bears the name Qubbah, this word means also "heaven".
Dome - Qubbah and arched ceiling symbolizes the sky (in Arabic “Asma” - “the sky"), thus the
dome is a symbol of the sky,the dome-shaped space under it - the personification of the Earth,
and the cambered dome shape - a communication circle between heaven and Earth (Hamdouni
2001). Therefore, the usual geometric shape of the dome also has a certain symbolic meaning.

DOME AS A SYMBOL OF POWER:

A DOME APPEAR OVER OF A MASS OF A BUILDING. IT IS GENERALLY VISIBLE FROM A FAR.
THE DOME MAY INDICATE A MOSQUE, A PALACE, OR A TOMB. IT MAY COVER A
PRAYERHALL, A CHAMBER AT THE END OF A RECEPTION HALL OR A SQUARE ,CIRCULAR
OR OCTAGONAL TOMB.
INSTEAD OF DEFINING A PARTICULAR FUNCTION, THE DOME APPEARS TO BE A GENERAL
SYMBOL, SIGNIFYING POWER, THE ROYAL CITY, THE FOCAL POINT OF ASSEMBLY.
IT CAN THUS SERVE BOTH RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR FUNCTIONS.
Evolution OF DOMES
Early origin
7TH Century – Dome of the Rock
IT
CLASSICAL
IS A COMMONPLACE OF
ISLAMIC religious writing that the
Prophet himself considered Mekkah,
Madinah, and Jerusalem as the three
holiest places of the faith. All three
centers were places of pilgrimage
During late 7th Century in
Jerusalem a shrine was built by
Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik
ibn Marwān which is known as
Dome of Rock. In fact, the shrine
is sacred to Muslim as well as
Jews. However, the dome’s
structure and ornamentation
was done during Byzantine
period.
The dome, which is approximately 65
feet (20 metres) in diameter and is
mounted on an elevated drum.
It rises above a circle of 16 piers and
columns. Surrounding this circle is an
octagonal arcade of 24 piers and
columns.
Below the dome a portion of the sacred
rock is exposed and protected by a
railing.
double dome is of timber construction
It has a distinctive feature, which
consists in the fact thatunlike other
domes , its inner shell.
DOME OF ROCK PLAN AND ELVATION
14th Century – Samarkhand

The construction of Shrine was started by Timur in 1403, who
discovered madrasah (a college for Islamic instruction) on this site
during 14th Century. Though Timur died in 1405 but his body was
buried inside the structure and this structure was executed by
Grandsons of Timur. Around the dome and cylinder below dome
also the facade is inscribed with sacred inscriptions.

CHARACTERISTICS
The name of architect and designer is not obvious and
in historical texts someone called Muhammad Jaled has
been mentioned, who was in charge for building the
mason

Samarkand was a jewel for the orient and BibiKhanym

Mosque was its jewel
Use of denticulate domes is another form of innovations and features
of architecture in this era, applied in thismosque. Gur-e-Amir dome is
also one of the most famous domes of this kind.
Another innovation in this mosque is two domes behind eastern and
western porches.
IMPERIAL PERIOD

Alai darwaza
Sultan Alauddin Khalji from Khalji dynasty
constructed Alai Darwaza in 1311. It was
constructed to widen Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
from all four sides.
The height of dome measures 47 ft. i.e. 14 m.
surprisingly, this is first true dome built in India,
because the domes which were constructed
earlier were not successful.
Low height hemispherical dome
 1325 A.D. – Tomb of Nasir-ud-din

First
monumental
muslim
mausoleum in
INDIA
This is first tomb
building in India
and was
constructed by
Shams-ud-Din
The materials used in exterior are Grey Granite Iltutmish in 1231
with white circular bastions extending from each A.D. in Delhi for
corner of square. his son.
There is an octagonal platform which is formed The structure
in the centre and also forms the roof of tomb. has high plinth
While on the east and west there are two pillared having massive
arcades in white marble. While the arcade on portal on east.
western side is a mosque chamber for private
prayers.
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq’s Tomb
The Tomb was built during 1325
Material used in tomb was red sandstone and
white marble dome, which was
predominantly used in all Islamic structure
during that period.
It has a pointed dome, which transfer load on
squinches on the corner.
The diameter of dome in interior is 10.41 m
and on the exterior is 13.41 m.
Also the typology of Hindu temples seems to
be followed in dome with a vase and melon
(kalash and amala) finial.
Lodi tomb
Enclosed within a raised fortified complex, with
dome shaped Chattris (umbrella shaped domes)
at the main entrance, the octagonal mausoleum
sits in the middle of a large garden.
Crowning the head of the mausoleum is a single
dome with a lotus finial at the top.
This is the first tomb with a octagonal plan
unlike other tomb with a square plan
during the Lodi period.
The tomb of Sikandar Lodi has tall arches
with deep veranda.
Entering from monumental portal in the
south has the tomb in center of an
enclosed precinct.
It has double dome feature not typical
chhatri .
PROVINCIAL STYLE
The tomb has an octagonal plan; the diameter is 90
Tomb of rukn i alam ft whereas the walls are 414ft high and 13.3ft thick.

The mausoleum (group of tombs) was made with
burnt bricks which were supported by timber
framing and decorated with wooden beams with
tile faced bricks. On the second floor is smaller
octagon, has narrow passages around the place ,
above it is the Hemispherical Dome. Patterns used
in the interiors are mostly geometric. Also in the
interior as well as the exterior has floral as
calligraphic inscriptions.
Dome Top crowned by a dome with a diameter of 15
meters along with Dome height 101 feet
It is a remarkable example of traditional
architecture with symmetrical features. All
the domes are topped by decorative finials at
the apex.
Dome is finished with white surface and
decorated with blue ornamental tilework on
its lower circumference.
Jama masjid , Jaunpur
One of the largest mosques of India is Jama Masjid
which was built by Hussain Shah in Jaunpur during
15th Century. It is one of aspiring and largest mosque
in Jaunpur. Constructed started in 1470 by Husayn
Shah who was last ruler of Shargi dynasty. The Prayer
hall is in the centre surrounded by a square sanctuary
which is covered on the roof by dome that is 11.4m in
diameter.
ADDITIONAL FEATURE TO DOME
Fenestrations are shrewd into dome’s drum acting as
skylights which lighten up the interior.
Husano’s tomb/ Hoshang Shah’s Tomb

One of the well – known and India’s well oldest

marble mausoleum , the tiny crescent which is
crowned on tomb is said to be imported from Persia
or Mesopotamia. Light illuminates in the dome with
carved lattice screens and also there is echoing in the
dome. Also the inscriptions here say that Shah Jahan
had send his architects here in 1659 before the
construction of Taj Mahal.

It is a square structure on a plinth crowned by a

central dome with smaller domes at the corners
and an overhanging cornice.
Gol Gumbaz, , Bijapur-
The dome is built of brick and cemented with
layers of lime
The dome rests on a circular base, which is
internally supported by interlocking
pendentives, formed from eight intersecting
arches that arise from the interior hall.
Similar vaulting is found, though on a smaller
scale, in the Jami Masjid of Bijapur and the
Ibrahim Rauza.[6] Outside of Bijapur, this
pendentive support system is virtually
unknown.
Sultan of Bijapur i.e. King Mohammed Adil Shah
constructed the tomb which is Vijayapura. The
construction started in 1626 and was completed in
1656. The initial form is cube but it is surrounded
by four intricate pillars which are capped by
chhatri and having fenestration pierced around the
pillars.
Dome of Gol Gumbaz ranks one of largest domes
constructed during Pre- Modern world and is
supported by a number of interlocked arches and
in fact it does not have any columns.
It is the second largest dome ever built, next in size
only to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome
It is a cube 47.5 m on each side, topped by a
hemispherical dome of diameter approximately 44
m. domed octagonal towers, each divided into
seven floors and topped by a bulbous dome, line
the four corners of the cube.
Mughal

Humayun’s tomb
The huge tomb with a height of 154 feet and

width of 299 feet is mainly built in red

sandstone while white marble has been used
for the double layered dome. Designed as a
dynastic mausoleum, the structure has 124
small vaulted chambers within its walls.

This tomb was built for Human’s Senior

Begum , Hamida Banu during 1564 to 1573.
Dome was covered with white marble
topped with brass finial.
Khan-I-Khanan Tomb in Delhi

The tomb was stripped of its materials and all

marble cladding on the dome when
Safdarjung's Tomb was built in 18th century
and even later
Khan-i-Khanan Tomb located in Delhi was
built by Rahim in 1598 in memory of his
loving wife.
Except some of the differences it looks
exactly like Humayun’s tomb which is located
very near to it.
Another attractive part of the tomb is the
centrally placed large medal and eight small
medals surrounding it. The presence of the
domed roof marks as one of the most
prominent feature of the Mughal
architecture.
Taj Mahal

Designed according to the tradition of Persian as well

as early Mughal architecture. The most prominent
feature of Taj Mahal is the dome which is made up of
Marble around the Tomb. The height of Dome is 35m
approx which is approximately equal to length of
base and makes it proportionally equal to the base
and the form of the dome is called as “onion shape”.

Perhaps the ornamentation of the top is done with

lotus design which makes it more prominent.
Also the dome is surrounded by four small chhatris
placed at its edges, which follows the form of main
dome i.e. Onion shape. The top of dome and chattris
are finished by gilded finial.
Safdar jang’s tomb

The last tomb which was built during Mughal Era was
Safdarjung Tomb, and was planned similar to
Humayun tomb having an enclosed garden tomb and

was completed by 1754. It has a central dome and

high walls around it which is main mausoleum of
Safdarjung. Materials used in the mausoleum are red
and buff stones which measure 28m high. Though
the designs have issues in proportions of some
spaces and also it is criticised for its poor material.