Theory
Islamic Sacred Geometry
Explore in the Atlas →The use of geometry and proportion as the expression of tawḥīd (unity), with light (nūr) and the muqarnas dome translating metaphysics into building; geometry routed through revelation rather than instrumental reason.
Sign Cosmos Tectonics
Details
- Introduced
- classical Islamic thought
Connections
- relates to Vāstu-Puruṣa-Maṇḍala
Referenced by
- Keith Critchlow proposed
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr proposed
- Gülru Necipoğlu proposed
- An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines: Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan al-Safa, al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina articulates
- Islamic Patterns articulates
- The Topkapı Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture articulates
Sources
- Critchlow, K. Islamic Patterns. 1976.
- Necipoğlu, G. The Topkapı Scroll. Getty, 1995.
- Critchlow, K. Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach. Thames & Hudson, 1976.
- Necipoğlu, G. The Topkapı Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture. Getty Conservation Institute, 1995.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "Islamic Sacred Geometry." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/islamic-sacred-geometry/. Accessed July 17, 2026.