Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Divan decorations, 8th century

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D is for decorations below the dome of the divan. 
Definitions:  a divan is a public audience room in Muslim cultures.
These reconstructed partridges and windows are from the 8th century bathhouse at Khirbet al-Mafjar in Jericho.
The site is also known as Hisham's Palace. 
You can enlarge the photo to enjoy them better.

The explanation at the Israel Museum, where they are displayed, says
Eighty partridges decorated the area below the dome of the divan (reception room) of the palace bathhouse, one of the palace's most spectacular rooms.
The room was embellished with mosaic floors and carved stucco (plaster), which covered most of the walls and the ceiling.
The choice of motifs reveals a strong Persian-Sassanian influence. 

(A post for ABC Wednesday D-Day and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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11 comments:

  1. Very interesting post and I like the example in the shot. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

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  2. I learn something new every time I visit your blog:-)
    Interesting and good words for D!

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  3. The room must have been fantastic, if the surviving windows are any indication.

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  4. Just fabulous! Love the display too.

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  5. An amzing composition and a strange story.

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  6. And here I thought a divan was a couch.

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  7. Gorgeous - I love those windows! I actually have a friend with something similar carved into a wall of her house, they're absolutely mesmerizing...

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