Shah-i-zinda Entrance Gate
- Author:
- chris cambré
- Topic:
- Geometry
Ulug Beg, the grandson of van Timur defined the borders of the Shah-i-zinda complex vast by building a monumental Entrance Gate in 1434-35.
In the timurid tradition it's decorated with several geometric patterns.
The spandrel above the Gate has a pattern with 12- and 8-pointed stars, completed by irregular pentagons. This pattern is generated by dodecagons, octagons and ties.
In the picture below you can see that the stars are executed in multicoloured glazed tiles. The irregular pentagons aren't coloured en are decorated by carving.
Notice that lines run run straight on over the ties to create kites in them. THis is one of the two alternatives:
- either you can draw lines from star to star not straight on
- either you don't draw lines in a polygon by connecting middles of edges but middles with different points.
