During medieval times the Orient set the standard for science and art. The Islamic world stretched from India all the way to Spain connecting the minds and hearts of many people.
Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Astronomy, Philosophy and many other sciences advanced during this period. The art and science of Architecture developed also. Architectural wonders like Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Shah Abbas Mosque in Isfahan, Iran and Alhambra in Andalusia were built.
The complex geometrical patterns decorating the walls of the mosques mesmerized me as a kid. These patterns are called Girih. I do not know the origins of the name, but I would guess that it comes from the Persian word gereh
Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Astronomy, Philosophy and many other sciences advanced during this period. The art and science of Architecture developed also. Architectural wonders like Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Shah Abbas Mosque in Isfahan, Iran and Alhambra in Andalusia were built.
The complex geometrical patterns decorating the walls of the mosques mesmerized me as a kid. These patterns are called Girih. I do not know the origins of the name, but I would guess that it comes from the Persian word gereh
meaning knot. During a visit in todays Uzbekistan the American Mathematician Peter Lu was like me amazed by the complexity of the Girih patterns he found on the mosques in Samarkand and Bukhara. Upon returning back to USA he started to research Oriental medieval architecture by going through pictures of old buildings of the middle east.
Doing that he found out that the complexity of these patterns was much more than first believed. Girih patterns from 12th century could be 10 folded symmetrical . It means that if you rotate the pattern 36° then you would have a symmetric picture again. In Christian world in 17th century a pattern could symmetrical in up to 5 folded. Girihs could also be repeated inside each other just
like the fractal patterns seen today.
Most of the patterns found in the Oriental Medieval architecture were regular patterns. It means that the pattern would repeat itself periodically. But there were also some examples off irregular patterns.
It would take the western civilization 500 more years before they could come up with the knowledge to produce irregular patterns. It would be the British Mathematician Roger Penrose to break the mystery in 1960s.
So how are the Girih patterns made you may ask? Look here for explanation in Wikipedia. Also look at this presentation made by Peter Lu about Girih Patterns.
