Formal Structure in Islamic Architecture of Iran and Turkistan

This book represents over twelve years of Klaus Herdeg's work on the architecture of Iran and Turkistan. The principle purpose is to illustrate and explicate selected buildings, spaces, and city fabrics, rather than to give a traditonal historical account of them. While the analysis of form and its associated meanings is primarily visual, the accompanying text for each example further refines the comprehension of a building or a city by positioning it within its cultural context. Throughout, there is a deliberate interplay of monumental public structures with their symbolic significance and the urban tissue surrounding them. Thus, an Islamic city is addressed in its entirety. Over one hundrerd photographs carry the central message.