Girih for Domes: Analysis of Three Iranian Domes

Abstract

Drawing Girih is a challenging mathematical and geometrical principle for artists and artisans in the present and past. This paper is to determine how Girih have been embedded on curved surfaces such as dome, according to their curvature. For achieving this goal, the Dast-Gardan pattern is represented as a prominent and complex type. This pattern enables the designer to use diverse types of star polygons in one pattern depending on the curvature of the surface. The research hypothesis is examined by analyzing the patterns of three historic domes in Iran. The result shows that there is a relationship between the number of points of star polygons and the change of the dome curvature.