What is "muqarnas"

n. 1 (context architecture English) A type of corbel used for decoration in Islamic and Persian architecture. 2 (plural of muqarnas English)Category:English plurals

Muqarnas is an annual academic journal of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The journal was established in 1983 and focuses on Islamic architecture and visual arts, and has become established as "perhaps the leading journal" in English in the field. Oleg Grabar was among the founders.

The journal's name, muqarnas, is a decorative device in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture.

The muqarnas are a form of architectural ornamented vaulting, the "geometric subdivision of a squinch, or cupola, or corbel, into a large number of miniature squinches, producing a sort of cellular structure", sometimes also called "honeycomb" vaults from their resemblance to these. They are used for domes, and especially half-domes in entrances, iwans and apses, mostly in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture. When some elements project downwards, the style may be called mocárabe; these are reminiscent of stalactites, and may be called "stalactite vaults".

Muqarnas developed around the middle of the 10th century in northeastern Iran and almost simultaneously — but seemingly independently — in central North Africa. Examples can be found in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, the Abbasid Palace in Baghdad, Iraq, and the mausoleum of Sultan Qaitbay, Cairo, Egypt. Large rectangular roofs in wood with muqarnas-style decoration adorn the 12th century Cappella Palatina in Palermo, Sicily, and other important buildings in Norman Sicily. They are also found in Armenian architecture.