. The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries. ies of stalactite entablature at thecrown of an edifice. Other architectural features to be noted are ovaldomes; arches, round, pointed, stilted, or horseshoeshaped ; graceful minarets or towers (from the Arabicminarch, meaning point of light); and large surfacesstitched over in stucco with infinite patience andskill. In a word, constructively the Arabs were littlemore than copyists ; as decorators, they were almostsecond to none. For nothing can be less inspiringthan an Arab house shorn of its ornament; few sightsmore mov
. The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries. ies of stalactite entablature at thecrown of an edifice. Other architectural features to be noted are ovaldomes; arches, round, pointed, stilted, or horseshoeshaped ; graceful minarets or towers (from the Arabicminarch, meaning point of light); and large surfacesstitched over in stucco with infinite patience andskill. In a word, constructively the Arabs were littlemore than copyists ; as decorators, they were almostsecond to none. For nothing can be less inspiringthan an Arab house shorn of its ornament; few sightsmore moving than a mosque or alcazar tricked outin all the exuberance and splendour of Saraceniccarving and colour. THE EASTERN STYLE. Mosques play by far the most important part inthe history of Eastern Saracenic architecture, just astemples and cathedrals take the lead in the story ofGreek and Gothic art ; and therefore it is here inorder to point out the salient features of these, thegreatest products of Islam, and in so doing clarify 26o THE MAHOMETAN OR SARACENIC vgp?;, -?v>.. Fig. ioi.—A Saracenic window. the terminology necessarily employed in a descrip-tion of the rise and progress of the style. One of the first characteristics to be noticed in themosques of Arabia, Persia, India, and Asia Minor istheir resemblance to Byzantine churches in being vaulted by a largecupola flanked bvsmaller domes, allconstructed on thependentive atrium, how-ever, becomes a col-onnaded court withaccessory buildingscontaining schools,colleges, libraries,asylums, heads of doorways are round, horseshoeshaped, or pointed, as are also those of the win-dows, which, being used onlv for light and not tobe looked out of, are closelv filled with geometricaltracery (see Fig. ioi)r therebv imparting within anatmosphere of solitude mingled with the conscious-ness of neighbourhood. Exterior walls are crowned with crenellated gal-leries and the corbelled or stalactite cornices men-
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