Ablaq (Arabic:أبلق; particolored; literally 'piebald'[1]) is an architectural technique involving alternating or fluctuating rows of light and dark stone.[2][3] It is anArabic term[4] describing a technique associated withIslamic architecture in theArab world.[5] The technique is used primarily for decorative effect. It may have its origins in earlierByzantine architecture in the region, where alternating layers of white stone and orange brick were used in construction.[3] Its use began early in the history of Islamic architecture.[6]
Theablaq decorative technique is thought to possibly be a derivative from the ancientByzantine Empire, whosearchitecture used alternate sequential runs of light coloredashlar stone and darker colored orange brick.[3] The first clearly recorded use ofablaq masonry is found in repairs to the north wall of theGreat Mosque of Damascus in 1109.[3]
The technique may have originated in Syria, where the local stone supply may have encouraged the use of alternating courses of light and dark stone. In the southern part of Syria there is abundance of blackbasalt as well as white-coloredlimestone. The supplies of each are about equal, so it was natural that masonry techniques of balanced proportions were used.[3]
_02.jpg)
TheDome of the Rock inJerusalem, originally built in the late 7th century during theUmayyad period, featuresablaq light and dark stonevoussoirs in the arches of its inner colonnade.[7][8] The origins of the marbleablaq treatments at the Dome of the Rock are controversial, with some scholars theorizing them to be from the original construction, and some saying they were later additions (and differing then as to the dates and identity of the builders).[4][7] The alternating red and white masonry in the voussoirs of arches at theGreat Mosque of Córdoba– built in the late 8th century and expanded up to the 10th century– is another early example of such a technique, which could be related to earlier examples in Jerusalem andDamascus that theUmayyad rulers ofCórdoba were familiar with.[7] Andrew Petersen, a scholar of Islamic art and archeology, states thatablaq (alternating courses of white limestone and black basalt) is "a characteristic of the monumental masonry of Damascus."[9]
Ablaq masonry appears around the dome in front of the prayer hall of theZaytuna Mosque inTunis, which was added during a renovation by theZirids in 991. This feature was not seen in earlierAghlabid architecture in this region but may have been a continuation of earlier local techniques of the Byzantine era.[10]
Ablaq appears in some 12th and 13th-century buildings inDiyarbakir built under theArtuqids, as well as in some lateAyyubid buildings in Damascus.[11] It also appears in the portals of some 13th-centurySeljuk monuments inKonya, such as theAlaeddin Mosque and theKaratay Madrasa, possibly due to the influence of Syrian craftsmen.[12]
Ablaq became a prominent feature ofMamluk architecture in Syria, Egypt and Palestine in the 14th and 15th centuries.[b] During this period, black and white stone were often used as well as red brick in recurring rows, giving a three colored striped building.[3]Ablaq masonry supplemented other decorative techniques such as the use of "joggled" voussoirs in arches, where stones of alternating colours were cut into interlocking shapes.[16]
In 1266 the Mamluk sultanal-Zahir Baybars al-Bunduqdari built a palace in Damascus known as theQasr al-Ablaq ("Ablaq Palace"), which was constructed with alterations of light and dark masonry. This name shows that the termablaq was in regular usage for this type of masonry in the 13th century.[3]
Construction with alternating layers of brick and stone was often used inearly Ottoman architecture inAnatolia and theBalkans, but it fell out of fashion in laterOttoman imperial architecture.[17][18][19] The traditionalablaq technique continued to be used regionally in the architecture ofOttoman Syria (16th century and after).[3][20] Examples in Damascus include theSulaymaniyya Takiyya (16th century),[21] theAzm Palace (18th century),[3] and theKhan As'ad Pasha (18th century).[22]
Alternating black and white marble also became a feature ofTunisian architecture during itsOttoman period (16th to 19th centuries).[23][24] Abdelaziz Daoulatli states that this habit began earlier in theHafsid period, probably in the 14th century.[23]Georges Marçais suggests that it was encouraged by the influence of the Mamluk style in Egypt.[24]
The technique of alternating light and dark stone constructions also appeared in Christian Europe around the mid 12th century,[3] becoming present in architecture throughout much of the Mediterranean region more generally.[26] It is uncertain whether this development in Christian Europe occurred independently or was influenced by existing examples in Syria.[3] Notable examples include the 13th-century cathedrals ofMonza,Siena, andOrvieto, as well as a palace in Genoa.[3]
Pisanecclesiastical monuments—particularly theCathedral of Pisa andChurch of San Sepolcro (commenced building 1113)—usedablaq, not simple "black and white in revetment" between the conquest of Jerusalem in theFirst Crusade (1099) and the completion of the latter ca. 1130. Various architectural motifs—ablaq, the zigzag arch, and voussoir (rippled and plain) were used. According to scholar Terry Allen, these embellishments were a direct appropriation of Muslim architecture, resulting from pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the wars in theLevant from resulting from theFirst Crusade. Visitors to Jerusalem could seeablaq at the Dome of the Rock and at theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as other examples that may no longer be extant. Thus zigzags andablaq became part of the repertoire ofRomanesque architecture.[4][27]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| Styles |
| ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elements |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Types |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Influences | |||||||||||||||||||
