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Abstract

The film Seljuk Muqarnas along the Silk Road gives an overview of muqarnas, stalactite vaults, in Seljuk style architecture (1038-1194). The muqarnas are located in portals and niches of caravansaraies, madrassas and mosques. Starting with the Sultan Han near Kayseri we follow the Silk Road westward till Konya and finally show the Arslanhane Camii in Ankara. Video recordings alternate with computer reconstructions and animations, explaining the assembly of a caravansaray and the composition of muqarnas. The timeline of the video is contained in this paper. Muqarnas reconstructions follow mathematical rules and stylistic specialties. Possible combinations of elements in tiers can be expressed in their 2D plane projection by means of a directed graph. On the other hand, given a 2D plan we are able to determine the directed graphs which correspond to a muqarnas. After adjusting some free directions manually, the 3D models can be generated automatically.