Discovering Arches of Timurid Architecture: The Case of Ishrat-Khana Mausoleum

Abstract

This study investigates the Ishrat-Khana Mausoleum, one of the prominent edifices of Timurid-era architecture. The focus is on analyzing the geometric principles of the arches bearing the ribbed domes of the monument, which is currently ruined, to provide concrete data for the possible restoration. The study compares the arch drawing methods of the 15th-century Timurid scholar al-Kashi with Pugachenkova and Bulatov’s methods proposed in the modern era. The analysis shows that new methods are insufficient to explain the whole relevant arch; nevertheless, it discovers that theoretically unlimited variations can be derived by modifying al-Kashi’s method, which is partitioning the arch span and modifying the arc angles. As a result, ten different arch geometries, with three and four-centered, have been identified in the existing domes of the monument. The findings provide a basic geometric repertoire for the faithful restoration of the Ishrat-Khana and similar regional monuments.