Author(s)

A. Al-Mosawi

Abstract

The interest in this topic comes as part of the modern trends to study the architectural heritage of nations. Most of the studies that interpreted the Islamic heritage architecture had a high degree of generalization and narrative approaches that called for precise studies concerned with the main characteristics, patterns and the prevailing shapes amongst different regions and periods. This study attempts to develop an analytical approach by studying the design characteristics of a specific element and discovering its evolution and spread in different cultures, regions and periods. The dome was selected for the study because it represents a symbolic element in different civilizations and conduction of a comparative study identified the design characteristics in these regions. The study adopted a quantitative analysis approach to data collection and data analysis. The developed analytical framework can be employed for different architectural elements or functional types.

Keywords

dome, dome in Islamic architecture, Islamic regions, heritage architecture, design characteristics, design variables