Muqarnas
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Muqarnas, also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe, is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of Islamic architecture, integral to the vernacular of Islamic buildings, and typically featured in domes and vaults, as well as iwans, entrance portals, or other niches. It is sometimes referred to as "honeycomb vaulting" or "stalactite vaulting".
Muqarnas as seen from below in the iwan entrance to the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran (17th century)
Muqarnas dome in the Sala de Dos Hermanas at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain (14th century)
Close-up of muqarnas vaulting in the Alhambra (14th century) in Granada, Spain, showing horizontal courses of cells projecting over those below
Muqarnas vaulting covered with tilework, seen from below, in the iwan entrance of the Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom, Iran
Imam Dur Mausoleum
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The Imam Dur Mausoleum or Qubba Imam Al-Dur was a mausoleum in Iraq which dates back to the Uqaylid era. The mausoleum was located twenty kilometers north of Samarra in Saladin Governorate.
The Imam Dur Mausoleum, in 2005