Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
West Africa
Gok Madrassa
The Gok Madrassa is one of the most famous
buildings in the north-east Anatolian city of Sivas.
Built in 1271 the building has a cruciform plan with
a central open court opening onto two-storey
cloisters. The most significant part of the design is
the façade which comprises two corner buttress
towers with a central entrance flanked by two tall
minaret towers. The portal itself is recessed within a
tall muqarnas niche which itself is set within a carved
stone frame. Both the entrance portal and the corner
buttress towers are decorated in deep relief stone
carving which is characteristic of the thirteenth-
century architecture of the city. The twin minarets
above the entrance are built of baked brick with
vertical flutes and large muqarnas corbelled
balconies.
Gol Gumbaz
Mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah II (1627–57), one
of the major Islamic monuments of India.
The tomb, located in the city of Bijapur, southern
India, was built in 1659 by the famous architect, Yaqut
of Dabul. The structure consists of a massive square
chamber measuring nearly 50 m on each side and
covered by a huge dome 37.9m in diameter making
it the largest dome in the Islamic world. The dome
is supported on giant squinches supported by
groined pendentives whilst outside the building is
supported by domed octagonal corner towers. Each
tower consists of seven storeys and the upper floor
Gol Gumbaz

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of each opens on to a round gallery which surrounds
the dome.
In the centre of the chamber is a square raised
podium approached by steps in the centre of each
side. In the centre of the podium are the tombs of
Muhammad Adil Shah II and his relations. To the
west of the podium in a large apse-like projection is
the mosque, also raised slightly above the floor level
of the chamber.