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A Double Dome Through the Ages

Building Technology and Performance of Esfahan Shah Mosque’s Dome

  • Conference paper
Book cover Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions

Part of the book series: RILEM Bookseries ((RILEM,volume 18))

Abstract

On 7th May 1611, the construction of Esfahan Shah mosque started to be a part of the re-modeling of Safavid capital, a building that adopts a glazed bulbous double dome as a hybrid structure of brick and wooden elements. This paper aims to present building techniques, construction process and conservation works of this complex dome through historical evidence and onsite surveying. For these purposes, following a brief history of the building, the paper explores the geometry, morphology and construction sequences. It subsequently addresses the conservation during the last century from Salnameh (1934–36) up to current intervention and their consequences. The paper necessarily illustrates cracks pattern, not only to recognize its causes via their type and geometry but also to address historical performance and structural capacity. According to the objectives, the study of the Shah dome plays an important role to better understand other similar cases. This paper concludes that structural analysis and future conservation could benefit from the achievements derived from historical research, which also allow further understanding of construction techniques.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Polytechnic of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Ali Tavakoli Dinani & Solmaz Sadeghi

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, ISISE, University of Minho, Guimaraes, Portugal

    Paulo B. Lourenço

Authors
  1. Ali Tavakoli Dinani
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  2. Solmaz Sadeghi
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  3. Paulo B. Lourenço
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali Tavakoli Dinani .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru

    Rafael Aguilar

  2. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru

    Daniel Torrealva

  3. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru

    Susana Moreira

  4. University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Miguel A. Pando

  5. University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal

    Luis F. Ramos

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© 2019 RILEM

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Dinani, A.T., Sadeghi, S., Lourenço, P.B. (2019). A Double Dome Through the Ages. In: Aguilar, R., Torrealva, D., Moreira, S., Pando, M.A., Ramos, L.F. (eds) Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions. RILEM Bookseries, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99441-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99441-3_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99440-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99441-3

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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