Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Yemen
Further reading:
R.B.Serjeant and R.Lewcock (eds.), 
San
a. An Arabian
Islamic City,
World of Islam Festival Trust, London
1983.
San
a

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saqaqa
Water tank for ritual ablutions.
sardivan
Fountain in the centre of a mosque courtyard.
Sassanians
Iranian dynasty which ruled from 226
CE 
to the Arab
conquest in 651.
The Sassanians controlled the eastern half of what
became the Umayyad and Abbasid empires. Unlike
their Byzantine rivals, the Sassanians were
completely destroyed by the Arab invasions.
Nevertheless, Sassanian traditions continued to have
great importance, particularly during the Abbasid
period in the eighth and ninth centuries. This
influence is symbolized by the great arched iwan
(Taq i Khusrau) at Ctesiphon which, like the Hagia
Sophia in Constantinople, provided an example for
Islamic architects. The influence of the Sassanians
on Islamic architecture can even be seen in Syria
Palestine in the Umayyad period thus the mosaics
of the Dome of the Rock are decorated with Sassanian
symbols of royalty. More tangible evidence is found
at Qasr Kharana which is purely Sassanian in design
although it appears to date from the Islamic period.
Other examples of Sassanian influence are the
stepped merlons found at Umayyad palaces such as
Khirbet al-Minya or the stucco work of Khirbet al-
Mafjar.
The architecture of Iraq at this period is a
continuation of Sassanian practice with baked brick
and roughly coursed stone set in thick mortar as the
main building materials. Buildings such as Khan
Atshan and Ukhaidhir are very similar to Sassanian
buildings in their design, although constructional
details such as the development of the pointed arch
and the use of machicolations indicates new
developments. In eastern Iran the influence of
Sassanian culture remained longer, thus some ninth-
century buildings have inscriptions in Pahlavi
(Sassanian script) and Arabic.