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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Very interesting post and I like the example in the shot. Carver, ABC Wed. Team
ReplyDeleteI learn something new every time I visit your blog:-)
ReplyDeleteInteresting and good words for D!
What delightful decorations!
ReplyDeleteFine and interesting decorations.
ReplyDeleteNice windows!
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
The room must have been fantastic, if the surviving windows are any indication.
ReplyDeleteJust fabulous! Love the display too.
ReplyDeleteAn amzing composition and a strange story.
ReplyDeleteAnd here I thought a divan was a couch.
ReplyDeleteNice composition, love it.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous - I love those windows! I actually have a friend with something similar carved into a wall of her house, they're absolutely mesmerizing...
ReplyDelete