Origins and early uses (3rd century CE), in which the
springers of the arches are set back It appeared in pre-Islamic
Sasanian architecture such as the
Taq-i Kasra in present-day
Iraq and the
Palace of Ardashir in southwestern
Iran (3rd century CE). It also appeared in Late Roman or
Byzantine architecture, as well as in
Roman Spain. and in
Qasr Ibn Wardan (564 CE). at Nusaybin Another possible origin of the horseshoe arch motif is India, where
rock-cut temples with mildly incurved horseshoe arches survive from early periods, though these were sculpted in rock rather than constructed, and probably imitate earlier forms in wood. Horseshoe arches made of baked brick have been found in the so-called Tomb of the Brick Arches in
Aksum (present-day
Ethiopia), built during the
Kingdom of Aksum and tentatively dated to the 4th century CE. In a 1991 publication, archeologist Stuart C. Munro-Hay suggests that these could be evidence that transmission of architectural ideas took place via routes not previously considered by scholars. He suggests that the brick-built horseshoe arches could have been an Aksumite innovation based on ideas transmitted via trade with India. though the origins of this regional feature are sometimes debated. An early example of its use in Anatolia is found at the
Alahan Monastery in present-day southern
Turkey, In
Visigothic Spain, horseshoe arches are found, for example, in of the
Church of Santa Eulalia de Boveda near
Lugo and the
Church of Santa Maria de Melque near
Toledo. Some tombstones from that period have been found in the north of Spain with horseshoe arches in them, eliciting speculation about a pre-Roman local
Celtic tradition. (early 8th century, partially restored)In early
Islamic architecture, some horseshoe arches appeared in
Umayyad architecture of the 7th to 8th centuries. They are found in the
Umayyad Mosque of
Damascus, though their horseshoe shape is not very pronounced. They are also found in the
Umayyad Palace at the
Amman Citadel in present-day
Jordan. According to Rivoira, this type of arch was first used in the
Ibn Tulun Mosque,
Wijdan Ali also describes this as the first systematic use of the pointed variant. Horseshoe arches of a slightly pointed form were also used in
Aghlabid architecture of the 9th century,
Development in the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb It was in
Al-Andalus (on the
Iberian Peninsula) and western
North Africa (the
Maghreb) that horseshoe arches developed their characteristic form. Prior to the
Muslim invasion of Spain, the
Visigoths of the Iberian Peninsula used them in
their architecture. Although it is possible that Andalusi architecture borrowed the horseshoe arch from Umayyad Syria, these local precedents make it just as likely that it developed locally instead., Spain, with horseshoe arches typical of the 10th-century
Caliphal periodThe
Umayyads of Al-Andalus, starting with the
Emirate period, used horseshoe arches prominently and ubiquitously, often enclosing them in an
alfiz (rectangular frame) to accentuate the effect of its shape. Its most distinctive form, however, was consolidated in the 10th century during the
Caliphal period, as seen at
Madinat al-Zahra, where the arches consist of about three quarters of a circle and are framed in an
alfiz. The Córdoban style of horseshoe arch spread all over the Caliphate and adjacent areas, and was adopted by the successor Muslim emirates of the peninsula, the
taifas, as well as by the architecture of the Maghreb under subsequent dynasties. Its use remained especially consistent in the form of mosque
mihrabs. The Mozarabs also incorporated horseshoe arches into their art, such as in
illuminated manuscripts. Under the
Almoravids (11th-12th centuries), the first pointed horseshoe arches began to appear in the region and then became more widespread during the
Almohad period (12th-13th centuries). This pointed horseshoe arch is likely of North African origin. Horseshoe arches also continued to be used in the Maghreb, in the
architecture of Morocco,
Algeria, and
Tunisia. early Christian or Visigothic period File:Baños de Cerrato 01 basílica by-dpc.jpg|
Church of San Juan de Baños in Spain (mid-7th century) File:Bosquecillo de columnas (IV) (3076447169).jpg|Prayer hall of the
Great Mosque of Córdoba, Spain (late 8th century) File:Columnes - Gran Mesquita de Kairuan.jpg|Horseshoe arches in the
Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia (9th century) File:Iglesia de San Miguel de Escalada (5024992819).jpg|Church of
San Miguel de Escalada near
León, Spain (10th century); an example of
Mozarabic or
Repoblación architecture File:Arcos de herradura en la iglesia de Santiago de Peñalba.jpg|Arches with
alfiz in the Mozarabic Church of
Santiago de Peñalba (10th century) File:Cordoba mihrab DSCF5436.jpg|
Mihrab of the Great Mosque of Córdoba (10th century), with horseshoe arch opening surrounded by a rectangular
alfiz File:Alcazaba of Málaga.jpg|Caliphal-style arches of the
Taifa palace (11th century) in the
Alcazaba of Málaga, Spain File:Tin Mal Moschee 02.jpg|Pointed horseshoe arches in the
Mosque of Tinmal, Morocco (12th century), typical of the
Almohad period and afterwards File:Iglesia de San Román (Toledo). Interior.jpg|
Mudéjar architecture in the
Church of San Roman in
Toledo, Spain (12th or 13th century) File:Inside Bou Inania Madrasa.jpeg|
Bou Inania Madrasa of
Fez, Morocco (14th century), from the
Marinid period File:Dar mostafa bacha.jpg|Pointed horseshoe arches in
Dar Mustapha Pasha in
Algiers, Algeria (1799)
Use in other parts of the Islamic world gate in the
Qutb Minar Complex,
Delhi (1311) Horseshoe arches were also common in
Ghurid and
Ghaznavid architecture (11th-13th centuries) in
Central Asia, though in this region they had sharp pointed apexes, in contrast with those of the western Islamic world. Sometimes they were cusped or given multifoil flourishes. Around the same time or not long afterward, they begin to appear as far east as
India, though they were not a consistent feature in India. Some pointed arches with a slightly horseshoe shape appear in
Ayyubid architecture in Syria. It appears, exceptionally, in some instances of
Mamluk architecture. For example, it appears in some details of the
Sultan Qalawun Complex in Cairo, built in 1285. Andalusi-style horseshoe arches are also found alongside the minaret of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, probably dating from 13th-century renovations ordered by
Sultan Lajin to the older 9th-century mosque.
Use in Moorish revival architecture in
Prague,
Czech Republic, an example of
Moorish Revival architecture (1906) In addition to their use across the Islamic world, horseshoe arches became popular in Western countries in
Moorish Revival architecture, which became fashionable in the 19th century. They were widely used in Moorish Revival synagogues. They were employed in the
Neo-Mudéjar style in Spain, another type of Moorish Revival style. They are used in some forms of
Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture, a 19th-century style associated with the
British Raj. Among other examples, this can be seen on the street façade of the
Cauchie House. == Notes ==