Pishtak
A Pishtak (Persian: پیشطاق; pisch = "before", tak = "arch") is a monumental main entrance to Central Asian and Persian mosques and medersa . It is a brick portal frame that surrounds a high portal arch ( iwan ) .
architecture
A pishtak is a rectangular or nearly square component - mostly made of bricks and decorated with tiles - which encloses an open portal porch in front of the main building front; the back wall with the actual entrance to the building, on the other hand, is closed except for a passage that is slightly more than door-high. A Pischtak usually rises well above the roof line of the actual building.
history
Ancient or early medieval models for the late medieval or early modern Pishtak buildings are not known. Some researchers suspect that those of the Friday mosque of Yazd (Iran) from the 14th century are among the oldest of their kind.
distribution
Pishtaks are essential components of the Middle East and Central Asian mosques and medersen ( Registan Square in Samarqand , Uzbekistan). They are also found in a somewhat smaller form in South Asia (India and Pakistan) (e.g. Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta ).
meaning
According to Papadopoulo, such an oversized gate should show through its height that a person becomes a “spiritual giant” when he walks through it. A portico or a pylon fulfill a comparable function.
literature
- A. Papadopoulo: Islamic Art. (= Ars Antiqua, Series II. Volume 2). 2nd Edition. Herder Verlag, Freiburg 1982, ISBN 3-451-17102-3 , p. 96.
- K. Pander: Central Asia. (= Dumont art travel guide ). 5th updated edition. Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-7701-3680-2 .
