The Architectural Decoration Under the Early Ghaznavids (997-1041 A.D.)

Abstract

Architectural decoration of the early Ghaznavids in the late tenth-early eleventh century was often approached in a set of disparate elements and fields because of the scarcity of its remaining monuments and objects. Art historical and historical literature set the ground of the present study that proposes an overview of three elements of decoration: calligraphy, geometry, and vegetal forms. This paper shows how ornamented Kufic takes shape in the way letters are ornated, linked, and extended. Echoing the scientific advancements of Baghdad, it covers the use of geometry in its various mediums as a visual element and the role vegetal motifs gains with geometric patterns. Lastly, it reveals the variety in which vegetal forms manifest; as independent elements, as complement to calligraphy and geometry, and in a beveled style. This research ultimately aims to identify the diversity that characterized these elements on early Ghaznavid architectural remains, reflecting their wider artistic context.