Byzantine Architecture vs Moorish Architecture
Moorish Architecture was influenced by Byzantine Architecture — Córdoba's mihrab mosaics drew on Byzantine technique and craftsmen.
Byzantine Architecture
The Christian architecture of the Eastern Roman Empire — vast domes floating on pendentives over centralized plans, interiors dissolved in gold mosaic and coloured marble.
- Large central dome carried on pendentives over a square bay
- Centralized or cross-in-square plans with half-domes
- Plain, massive brick-and-stone exteriors
- Interiors clad in gold mosaic and polychrome marble
- Light handled as a spiritual, dematerializing medium
Moorish Architecture
The Islamic architecture of medieval Iberia and the western Maghreb — horseshoe arches, intricate stucco and tile ornament, and serene arcaded courtyards, peaking under the Umayyads of Córdoba and the Nasrids of Granada.
- Horseshoe arches, often extended into polylobed and interlacing forms
- Alternating stone-and-brick voussoirs (red-and-white striped arches)
- Muqarnas (honeycomb stalactite) vaulting and corbelling
- Carved stucco arabesque and zellij geometric tile mosaic
- Arcaded courtyards organized around reflecting pools and fountains
At a glance
| Byzantine Architecture | Moorish Architecture | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 4th–15th century | 8th–15th century |
| Discipline | Architecture | Architecture |
| Region | Turkey, Greece, Eastern Mediterranean | Al-Andalus (southern Spain), Morocco, North Africa |
| Family | Medieval, Byzantine | Islamic |
| Formal traits | domed, centralized, ornamental, mosaic | arched, ornamental, polychrome, courtyard |
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