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The Decagonal Tomb Tower at Maragha and Its Architectural Context: Lines of Mathematical Thought

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Persian Architecture and Mathematics

Part of the book series: Nexus Network Journal ((NNJ))

Abstract

Of several brick tomb towers constructed at Maragha in western Iran before the Mongol conquests, one in particular, Gonbad-e Qabud (593 H. / 1196–97 C.E.), has generated significant recent attention for its unique patterns with pentagons and decagons. Gonbad-e Qabud is also unusual in having a decagonal plan. While both plan and decoration distinguish it from earlier and later towers at Maragha and elsewhere on the Iranian plateau, the ornamental patterns follow a long line of experimentation with geometric expressions that grace many pre-Mongol buildings in Iran. This article examines in particular the overlapping polygons and radial symmetries of the tympanum of the cubic Gonbad-e Sork (542 H. / 1148 C.E.) at Maragha, and the pentagons and squares of the tympanum of the later octagonal tomb tower (486 H. / 1093 C.E.) nearby at Kharraqan. Drawing from archival sources (plans, elevations, photographs), analysis of plane patterns, and comparative architectural data, this article reevaluates the cultural significance of Gonbad-e Qabud, seeking to situate it within the histories of mathematics, architecture, and the arts.

Carol Bier is a Visiting Scholar (2010–12) with the Center for Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley CA and Research Associate at The Textile Museum in Washington DC (2001–12), where she served as Curator for Eastern Hemisphere Collections (1984–2001). Her current research focuses on the historical development of Islamic patterns as intersections of geometry, art, religion, and philosophy.

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  1. Center for Islamic Studies, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA, 94709, USA

    Carol Bier

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Reza Sarhangi (Guest Editor)

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Bier, C. (2012). The Decagonal Tomb Tower at Maragha and Its Architectural Context: Lines of Mathematical Thought. In: Sarhangi, R. (eds) Persian Architecture and Mathematics. Nexus Network Journal. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0507-0_5

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