Gonbad
Encyclopedia
In traditional Persian architecture, a dome
is referred to as a gonbad . It is known as Gumbaz
, (Urdu
) in India.
The history of designing gonbads dates back to pre-Islamic Persia. The Parthia
ns in particular were very keen in using such structures in their designs. The Sassanids inherited them and elevated their designs into full maturity.
A gonbad is often double layered, and can have many shapes, such as semi-spherical, partial spherical, onion shaped, paraboloid
, polygonal conical
, and circular conical.
In pre-Islamic times, the gonbad was a sign of imperial grandeur for the king. In Islamic times, the tradition continued, and the interiors were made to simulate the celestial dome
, reminding the Muslim of Man's place in the cosmos vis a vis God and creation.
, are a continuation of the Turkish burial customs of Central Asia. These structures are either polygonal or cylindrical in shape arid are covered with a dome. The main body of the monument rests on a cubic base, the corners of which are bevelled. In the examples built before the l6th century the dome is covered with a conical or pyramidal spire. Most of these monuments are two storied. Concealed inside the base, half of which is below ground level, is a crypt; the latter is covered by a vault and its floor is earth. The deceased was buried in the earth. The crypt had small loop-hole windows.
(Kannada: ಗೋಲ ಗುಮ್ಮಟ) (Urdu: گول گمبد)is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah
(1627-55) of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Indian sultans, who ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur from 1490 to 1686.
The tomb, located in the city of Bijapur
, or Vijapur in Karnataka
, 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 (160 ft) on each side and covered by a huge dome 43.3 m (142 ft) in diameter making it among one of the largest dome structures in world. The dome is supported on giant squinches supported by groined pendentives while outside the building is supported by domed octagonal corner towers.
The Dome is the second largest one in the world which is unsupported by any pillars.
The acoustics of the enclosed place make it a whispering gallery where even the smallest sound is heard across the other side of the Gumbaz. At the periphery of the dome is a circular balcony where visitors can witness the astounding whispering gallery. Any whisper, clap or sound gets echoed around 7 times. Anything whispered from one corner of the gallery can be heard clearly on the diagonally opposite side. It is also said that the Sultan, Ibrahim Adil Shah and his Queen used to converse in the same manner. During his time, the musicians used to sing, seated in the whispering gallery so that the sound produced could reach every corner of the hall.
One can easily make out the restoration carried out on the structure by comparing the photographs. The surroundings have been converted into a splendid garden and the site is maintained by The Archeological Survey of India.The Archeological Survey of India.
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
is referred to as a gonbad . It is known as Gumbaz
Gumbaz
Gumbaz is a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 35°44'16N 71°47'3E with an altitude of 1598 metres ....
, (Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
) in India.
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
ns in particular were very keen in using such structures in their designs. The Sassanids inherited them and elevated their designs into full maturity.
A gonbad is often double layered, and can have many shapes, such as semi-spherical, partial spherical, onion shaped, paraboloid
Paraboloid
In mathematics, a paraboloid is a quadric surface of special kind. There are two kinds of paraboloids: elliptic and hyperbolic. The elliptic paraboloid is shaped like an oval cup and can have a maximum or minimum point....
, polygonal conical
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
, and circular conical.
In pre-Islamic times, the gonbad was a sign of imperial grandeur for the king. In Islamic times, the tradition continued, and the interiors were made to simulate the celestial dome
Celestial sphere
In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, concentric with the Earth and rotating upon the same axis. All objects in the sky can be thought of as projected upon the celestial sphere. Projected upward from Earth's equator and poles are the...
, reminding the Muslim of Man's place in the cosmos vis a vis God and creation.
Kümbet
In Iran and Turkey, where the Turks set up states and ruled for centuries, there are a number of examples of mausoleums. These monuments, referred to in Turkish as KümbetKümbet
Kümbet is the name given to Seljuq mausoleums. Kümbet are an important part of Seljuq architecture. In Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran where the Turks set up states and ruled for centuries, there are a number of examples of such mausoleums...
, are a continuation of the Turkish burial customs of Central Asia. These structures are either polygonal or cylindrical in shape arid are covered with a dome. The main body of the monument rests on a cubic base, the corners of which are bevelled. In the examples built before the l6th century the dome is covered with a conical or pyramidal spire. Most of these monuments are two storied. Concealed inside the base, half of which is below ground level, is a crypt; the latter is covered by a vault and its floor is earth. The deceased was buried in the earth. The crypt had small loop-hole windows.
Döner Kümbet
The Revolving Tomb is in the way to Talas in Kayseri, as it's called, doesn't revolve, but its cylindrical form makes it look as though it might. Built in 1276 as the final resting-place of Şah Cihan Hatun, an imperial princess, it's covered in high-relief arabesque decoration depicting animals and plants. The nearby Sirçali Kümbet is not quite as elaborate. The Çifte Kümbet (Double Tomb)(also in Kayseri), 5 km along on the way to Sivas, is yet another of these characteristic Seljuk royal tombs.The Kümbet of Halime Hatun
About 2 km to the north of the Gevaş district on the shore of Lake Van there is an old graveyard that has been in use ever since the Seljuk period. One of the most impressive pre-Ottoman grave monuments is the Kumbet of Halime Hatun, which is in the same graveyard. This monument was recently repaired and changes made to the entrance to the crypt. It attracted the attention of a number of travellers who visited the area in the last century, prompting W. Bachmann to make a serious study of it. However, the fırst scientifıc study of this monument was carried out by Prof. Dr. Oktay Aslanapa.The Kümbet of Kadem Pasa Hatun
This monument lies 1–2 km to the east of Erciş, at the junction of the Erciş-Van and Patnos-Van roads. It was repaired in the 1970s, when crumbling stones on the base and main body of the monument were replaced. Stone staircases leading to the crypt and to the upper floor were built at the same time. A wall was also built around the garden in which the monument lies.The Zortul Kümbet
This monument, which lies on level ground to the left of the Erciş-Patnos road above 5 km northwest of Erciş itself, has no special name. Abdürrahim Şerif Beygu, who visited the monument in 1931, stated that its east window part of the spire had crumbled away. Oktay Aslanapa confırms this information, stating that the upper part of the roof had collapsed and that the monument was in a very poor state. Repairs have been carried out which have halted its deterioration.Gol Gumbaz
Gol GumbazGol Gumbaz
Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. The tomb, located in Bijapur, Karnataka in southern India, was completed in 1656 by the architect Yaqut of Dabul...
(Kannada: ಗೋಲ ಗುಮ್ಮಟ) (Urdu: گول گمبد)is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah
Mohammed Adil Shah
Muhammad Adil Shah was the ruler of Bijapur, ascending the throne in 1627 at the comparatively young age of sixteen years. This was accomplished with the help of two Bijapuri nobles – Daulat Khan and Mirza Muhammad Amin Lari .Muhammad’s glorious reign of thirty years witnessed some momentous...
(1627-55) of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Indian sultans, who ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur from 1490 to 1686.
The tomb, located in the city of Bijapur
Bijapur, Karnataka
Bijapur Urdu:بیجاپور city is the district headquarters of Bijapur District of Karnataka state. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of Adil Shahi dynasty...
, or Vijapur in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, 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 (160 ft) on each side and covered by a huge dome 43.3 m (142 ft) in diameter making it among one of the largest dome structures in world. The dome is supported on giant squinches supported by groined pendentives while outside the building is supported by domed octagonal corner towers.
The Dome is the second largest one in the world which is unsupported by any pillars.
The acoustics of the enclosed place make it a whispering gallery where even the smallest sound is heard across the other side of the Gumbaz. At the periphery of the dome is a circular balcony where visitors can witness the astounding whispering gallery. Any whisper, clap or sound gets echoed around 7 times. Anything whispered from one corner of the gallery can be heard clearly on the diagonally opposite side. It is also said that the Sultan, Ibrahim Adil Shah and his Queen used to converse in the same manner. During his time, the musicians used to sing, seated in the whispering gallery so that the sound produced could reach every corner of the hall.
One can easily make out the restoration carried out on the structure by comparing the photographs. The surroundings have been converted into a splendid garden and the site is maintained by The Archeological Survey of India.The Archeological Survey of India.
Development in China
The word "gonbad" was borrowed into Chinese as "gongbei", where it refers to Islamic tombs (originally, domed).Further reading
- For a philosophical discussion of the dome in traditional architecture of Persia, see "Sense of Unity" by Nader Ardalan and Laleh BakhtiarLaleh BakhtiarLaleh Mehree Bakhtiar is an Iranian-American Muslim author, translator and clinical psychologist.-Biography:...
, ISBN 1-871031-78-8
See also
- Architecture of Iran
- Architecture of Turkey
- Architecture of AzerbaijanArchitecture of AzerbaijanArchitecture of Azerbaijan refers to the architecture development in Azerbaijan.Azerbaijani architecture typically combines elements of East and West...
- TürbeTurbeTürbe is the Turkish word for "tomb", and for the characteristic mausoleums, often relatively small, of Ottoman royalty and notables. It is related to the Arabic turba, which can also mean a mausoleum, but more often a funerary complex, or a plot in a cemetery.-Characteristics:A typical türbe...