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Explicit and Implicit Geometric Orders in Mamluk Floors: Secrets of the Sultan Hassan Floor in Cairo

In: Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future

Author

Listed:
  • Gulzar Haider

    (Beaconhouse National University, School of Architecture)

  • Muhammad Moussa

    (HHCP Architects)

Abstract

This paper presents the first detailed measurement, drawing and geometric analysis of the largest Mamluk floor (32 × 34.6 m), the conceptual heart and morphological horizon of the Sultan Hassan Mosque-Madrassa Complex of Cairo, Egypt (1356–1362). Computer-aided geometric analysis has revealed a level of sophistication in intentions and production, which could not have been deciphered otherwise. These rather difficult relationships are encoded in the floor's geometry through basic symmetry operations and the interstitial color configurations of the floor patterns. The research process has yielded unexpected insights into the hidden dynamic (rotational) geometric orders brought together through the use of colors into the manifest static impression of balance and harmony. Resonance with the symbolic rotation rooted in cosmological doctrines, circumambulations of a pilgrim or even the whirling of a mystic is academically intriguing.

Suggested Citation

  • Gulzar Haider & Muhammad Moussa, 2015. "Explicit and Implicit Geometric Orders in Mamluk Floors: Secrets of the Sultan Hassan Floor in Cairo," Springer Books, in: Kim Williams & Michael J. Ostwald (ed.), Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 483-496, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-319-00137-1_33
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-00137-1_33
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