Aqubba (Arabic:قُبَّة,romanized: qubba(t), pl.قُبابqubāb),[3] also transliterated asḳubba,kubbet andkoubba, is acupola ordomed structure, typically atomb orshrine inIslamic architecture.[1][2][4][5] In many regions, such as North Africa, the termqubba is applied commonly for the tomb of a localwali (local Muslim saint ormarabout), and usually consists of a chamber covered by a dome or pyramidal cupola.[6][7][1]
The Arabic word qubba was originally used to mean a tent of hides,[8] or generally the assembly of a material such as cloth into a circle.[3] It's likely that this original meaning wasextended to denote domed buildings after the latter had developed in Islamic architecture.[3] It is now also used generally for tomb sites if they are places of pilgrimage.[9] In Turkish and Persian the wordkümbet,kumbad, orgunbād has a similar meaning for dome or domed tomb.[3]
A well-known example of an Islamic domed shrine is theDome of the Rock, known in Arabic asQubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra (Arabic:قُبَّةُ ٱلْصَّخْرَة), although this particular monumental example is exceptional in early Islamic architecture.[3] In early Islamic culture, the construction of mausoleums and ostentations tomb structures to commemorate the deceased was viewed as unorthodox, asMuhammad himself opposed such practices.[2][3] However, historical records indicate that from the 8th century onward mausoleums became common, propagated in part by their popularity among theShi'a, who built tombs to commemorate the Imams which in turn became places of religious ceremony and pilgrimage.[2][3] The oldest surviving example of a domed tomb in Islamic architecture is theQubbat al-Sulaibiyya inSamarra, present-dayIraq, dating from the mid-9th century.[1][2] The construction of domed tombs became more common among both Shi'as and Sunnis during the tenth century, although early Sunni mausoleums were mostly built for political rulers.[3] An example of the latter is theSamanid Mausoleum inBukhara, present-dayUzbekistan, built in the tenth century.[3]
Yazidishrines and sacred buildings typically have conical spires that are known asqubbe inKurdish.[10]
| Styles | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elements |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Types |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Influences | |||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
