Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Great Mosque of the ʾUmayyāds: Eastern Portico

 


 Though only a fragment of its mosaic decorations remain, this gallery has all the serenity and recollection of a huge cloister (it is 50 meters long and 6 meters wide, 164 feet by 20 feet). This effect is enhanced by the majesty of its pillars, the alternation of elegant little columns and square pillars in the upper arcades, and the beautiful twin bay that lightens the heavy rear wall.






Jacques Ghislain de Maussion de Favières. Damascus, Baghdad: Capitals and lands of the caliphs. Translation to English by Edward J. Banks. Librairie orientale (Dar el-Mashreq), Beirut, Lebanon. 1972.

No comments:

Post a Comment