Product Code Database
in Damascus, Syria, using ablaq technique (18th century)]] Ablaq (; particolored; literally 'piebald') is an architectural technique involving alternating or fluctuating rows of light and dark stone. It is an Arabic language term describing a technique associated with Islamic architecture in the Arab world. It may have its origins in earlier Byzantine architecture in the region, where alternating layers of white stone and orange brick were used in construction. The technique is used primarily for decorative effect.
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 black basalt as well as white-colored limestone. The supplies of each are about equal, so it was natural that masonry techniques of balanced proportions were used.
Ablaq became a prominent feature of Mamluk architecture in Syria, Egypt and Palestine in the 14th and 15th centuries. During this period, black and white stone were often used as well as red brick in recurring rows, giving a three colored striped building. 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. (1996). 9780415213325, Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415213325 in Konya (13th century) ]]In 1266 the Mamluk sultan Baibars built a palace in Damascus known as the ("Ablaq Palace"), which was constructed with alterations of light and dark masonry. This name shows that the term ablaq'' was in regular usage for this type of masonry in the 13th century. (1996). 9780415213325, Routledge. ISBN 9780415213325
In Jordan, the Mamluk fortified khan at Aqaba is a medieval fortress modeled after those used by the Crusaders. It contains an arch above the protected entrance. The horseshoe arch has ablaq masonry, harkening to Mamluk architecture in Egypt. in Damascus, Syria (18th century)]]
Construction with alternating layers of brick and stone was often used in early Ottoman architecture in Anatolia and the Balkans, but it fell out of fashion in later Ottoman imperial architecture. (1996). 9780415213325, Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415213325 The traditional ablaq technique continued to be used regionally in the architecture of Ottoman Syria (16th century and after). (2025). 9780195309911, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195309911 Examples in Damascus include the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya (16th century), (1996). 9780415213325, Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415213325 the Azm Palace (18th century), and the Khan As'ad Pasha (18th century).
|
|
