SYNCRETISM OF ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE AND LOCAL BUILDING TRADITIONS: FROM THE SAMANIDS TO THE TIMURIDS
Keywords:
Islamic architecture; local traditions; syncretism; Samanids; Timurids; Central Asia; architectural heritage; mausoleum; pishtaq; brickwork.Abstract
This article examines the syncretism of Islamic architecture and local building traditions in Central Asia from the Samanid through the Timurid period. Focusing on ninth to fifteenth-century monuments, it analyzes how new Islamic architectural forms merged with and were informed by the region’s pre-Islamic construction practices. From the chahar-taq fire temple layout evident in the Ismail Samani Mausoleum to the monumental Timurid complexes of Samarkand, the development of architecture in Transoxiana is shown to be a fusion of Persian, Sogdian, and other local elements with Islamic design principles[1]. The study highlights key stages of this synthesis and demonstrates how it gave rise to a distinct regional architectural style. The findings reveal that the creative integration of indigenous forms and motifs with Islamic architectural norms under the Samanids, Qarakhanids, and Timurids produced an architectural heritage of outstanding value, one that preserved local identity within the broader Islamic world.
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