The Pantheon: The Dome Of The Rock

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The Dome shape encompassing the central roofs of mosques was coined in early Roman architecture to clearly represent temples and public building including the Pantheon. Although the Dome of the rock is not a relatively large temple, minute facets in its construction have given the building a unique identity in the holy site of Jerusalem. Construction of the Dome of the Rock included precise measurements and engineering to develop aesthetically pleasing geometric figures which were comparable to those employed by the Byzantine Empire. I will cover the applications of geometry and algebra which were necessary to map the layout for the Dome of the Rock as well as the intricate mosaics and calligraphic designs integrated into the interior and exterior …show more content…

In this section I will go into detail regarding the definition of the ad quadratum and how it sophisticatedly shaped the geometry for the double aisle, dome, nave and outer octagon. Axial symmetries and alignments with other holy sites in Jerusalem will also be covered in the first section. Coupled with the geometric planning, architects had to compensate for the rock occupying the nave centralized inside of the mosque. As a result, a conventional double ambulatory surrounded the nave to allow space for Muslims to pray and examine the holy site during their pilgrimages. The rock which is housed by the martyrium holds a significant religious tie to Islam, Christianity and Judaism which will be very briefly summarized. In accordance with the centralized theme of the dome above the nave, I will seek to compare a few of the similarities between Islamic and Byzantine architecture such as the incorporations of late East Roman arches and columns at the front of entrances and geometric patterns engraved inside the marble slabs at the base of the building (identical to the classical language that the Romans and Greek

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