CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF MUQARNAS IN THE MOSQUES OF MARRAKECH

Muqarnas are key decorative motifs in Islamic art. They appeared in the 10th century in the Eastern Mediterranean (Iraq-Iran), with an essential structural role, and then evolved towards fully decorative functions in the Western Mediterranean (Morocco-Andalusia). There they reached a high degree of standardization, using a limited number of pieces, with geometric shapes carefully chosen so that they could be juxtaposed while having a continuity of their internal concave surfaces. The present work aims to study the geometric features of the muqarnas that adorn the domes of the mosques in the city of Marrakech. There are complex and varied combinations, which present polar and/or axial symmetries and whose realization is easily done through ingenious systems of fragmentation. Despite this diversity, we demonstrate that there is a common reference of representation that allowed us to draw the layout of all the domes studied, whether those of the entrance doors, prayer rooms, or niches of the mihrab.