The Art of Architecture and Literature in Al-Andalus

The Art of Architecture and Literature in Al-Andalus

A comparison and symbiotic relation between the poem of Abū-l-Baqā’ al-Rundī “Ya salib al-Qalb” and the dome of the Hall of the Two Sisters in AlHambra Leyla El Sayed Hussein Department of Architecture and Design American University of Beirut P.O.Box 11-0236 leyla.s.hussein@gmail.com My research investigates processes of similarities between Arabic poetry and architecture. It tackles the concepts of poetics in architecture, and architecture in poetics. The first part will talk about the similarities from a wide perspective, discussing the multiple theories of both fields. The second part will apply these theories on a selected poem by the Sufi Andalusian poet Abū-lBaqā’ al-Rundī titled “Ya Salib al-Qalb”, and a selected architectural element from AlHambra which is the dome of the Hall of the Two Sisters. The comparison process aims to accentuate the link between poetry and architecture, and chose the notion of “symbiosis” as a key concept of the two fields.

I.

INTRODUCTION

The first feeling that comes to the mind and heart when talking about Architecture and Poetics is love. When Jean-Luc de Marion was asked about love, he said: “We speak about love all the time, we often experience it, but we fail to understand it”. The Greeks might be the first civilization to translate the intangible concept of love into a tangible one, first by creating Eros, god of love, second by transforming the divine love and rituals into art, drama and tragedy.

The research argues that the literature is neither the primary mover - the reason of the architectural results – nor does the architecture define a reason of the literature process. Both factors seems to fall in the same category, they are two reasons for the same mean, and two means for the same reason. From this point comes the term “symbiotic relation” or symbiosis, which in biological science means the co-existence and the strong bond between two, or more than two factors. When one factor ceases to exist, the other faces the same fate. In such relations, there is no “primary” or “secondary” factor, but two factors, two means and two reasons.

Erwin Panofsky said that comparative styles of thinking and doing started between architecture and Arabic poetry with the early Islam era. He discussed the relations relations between Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism under the notion of “mental habits” which is applicable on the two creative processes on poetry and architecture. Panofsky denies the cause-effect relation, and sees a “diffusion” relation on the level of mental habits between works of art. In the following paragraphs this “diffusion” relation between architecture and poetry will be further demonstrated.

II.

AL-JĀḤIẒ , KITAB AL BAYAN WA AL TABYIN

“Architecture functions in a poetical mode - Poetry functions in an architectural mode” – Mohammed Hamdouni Alami As an introduction to this statement, we need to go back to the time of Al-Jāḥiẓ . Abū ʿUthmān ʿAmr ibn Baḥr alJāḥiẓ who was born in 776 and died in 868, he was an Islamic theologian, intellect, and one of the most influential authors who worked on the Arabic prose. He was one of the major intellects admitted in the Mu’tazili circles, an Islamic school of philosophy where the elites hold their major intellectual debates of the time 1.

In his book, Kitab al bayan wa al tabyin, Al-Jāḥiẓ tackles the skills of language, the skills of Khutba and the art of poetry, this book has been considered one of the earliest works in the field of Arabic literary theory 2. The relevant parts to our paper are the earliest examples of today’s common operation methods of both architecture and poetry, such as: structure, harmony, state, rhythm, and combination. The system of Al Bayan is a system by which “signification, communication, information, manifestation and expression” happen all at once.

Al bayan is divided into five main categories: three of them are not highly related to architecture and are: al lafz (speech), al ishara (gesture), al khat (writing). The latter can be used in architecture, but not as a basic component, it acts as an added element. By contrast the other two components of al bayan are highly connected to the nature of architecture: Al-hal (state, condition) and al-‘aqd (calculation). Al hal is the state of the forms and elements of architecture that reflects a certain inner condition, a specific situation that needs to be expressed. Al ‘aqd, represents a more tangible architectural factor, the two reasons why al ‘aqd is an architectural element of al bayan are: the fact that al ka’ba is a simple square, and that Arabs in the Jahiliya era would call any square monument al ka’ba, in addition to the notion of complex numbers in architectural monument, like the importance of the square root of two in many tombs and madrasas. The numbers and geometries in a certain Qasida or monument become directly connected to a divine love (‫)ﺍﻟﺤﺐ ﺍﻹﻟﻬﻲ‬, or to an inner psyche, a feeling.

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1 Hamdouni alami, Mohammed. Art and Architecture in the Islamic Tradition.

Aesthetics, Politics and Desire in Early Islam. P.36 2 Van Gelder, G. J. H. (1982), Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem, Brill Publishers, pp. 1-2

Both architecture and poetry are a subject of formal rules and precise calculations. These two states when combined can produce according to the architect, researcher and historian Hamdouni Alami, a meaning to any building description 3.

III.

THE MODUS OPERANDI OF ARABIC POETICS AND ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

Modus operandi is a Latin term which means the modes of operation. This term was usually associated to the behavior of a certain animal; a very deep understanding of a living mechanism. Once we apply such a term to Arabic poetics and Islamic architecture, we indirectly agree that both fields “breath” the same, “grow” the same, and “live” the same.

According to Hamdouni, the poetical aspect of architecture is the necessary one to reveal the ambiguity of Islamic architecture.

Such a statement can be proved in many ways. First, some of the main architectural Islamic elements were a reflection of an Islamic thought. Second, many early Islamic architecture elements that were based on geometricisism (‘aqd) and ambiguity, are in a structural relationship with the principles of Arabic theory of language, as developed in the theory of permutations, by al-khalil in kitab al ain (author of the first Arabic dictionary, and creator of the science of the poetic versification (al-‘arud). Third, the mental processes of poetry and early Islamic architecture seem to be highly connected, and highly similar 4. The latter element can be considered the most important one, since it is not bounded to a timeframe, and can be applicable to any sort of poetry, in parallel to any sort of architecture.

A. The Training Process as a first Modus Operandi Memory->Forgetting->Residue->Re-arrangement (combination and probabilities) An interesting example of the mental process training is the famous story of Abu Nuwas (756-814). When he decided that he wanted to practice poetry, and write his own verses, his teacher Khalaf al Ahmar gave him one thousand classical verses to memorize by heart, when Abu Nuwas recited the verses by heart, Khalaf asked him to forget all the verses he memorized previously, only then, he would be ready to write poetry. But what was the goal of memorizing and forgetting?

According to Hamdouni, it is the “basic poetic form” common in all thousands verses that is left in Abu Nuwas 5. Similarly the process can be applied to the architectural course. The architectural process can be seen as a rearrangement of old residues, what is left from what we see as architectural elements, is at some point in the sleeping stage, the forgetting phase is necessary for memories to be evoked again, in a different state, reduced to its core, to be used in a new arrangement. In brief, it’s a process of combination, infinite 3 Hamdouni alami, Mohammed. Art and Architecture in the Islamic Tradition.

Aesthetics, Politics and Desire in Early Islam. P.59 4 Idem, p.77 5 Idem, p.81

number of probabilities of multiple memories to produce a new poetic or architectural element. This process of rearrangement creates one of the strongest bonds between poetry and architecture: harmony.

B. Harmony as a second Modus Operandi “Once Umar Ibn Laja’I said to another poet: “I am a better poet than you’ the other asked: “what makes your poetry better than mine?” and Umar answered: “It is because I say a verse and go on with its “brother” and you say a verse and go on with its “cousin” 6.

The fact that another verse can be the brother of the former indicates that the harmony is a core element in a poem; similarly the elements of Islamic architecture cannot be “cousins” but has to be “brothers” first. It is these “brother” verses that create the unity and harmony of a poem, and these “brother” elements that create the unity of an architectural object. The principle of harmony and unity within variety is a tie bond between poetry and architecture that one cannot deny.

The other version of the concept of harmony lies within the word itself. Harmonia, in Greek, originally meant “joining”, a crucial element in the works of Vitruvius and the Renaissance; however the Greek harmonia in its origin was a bit far from mathematics and had one ultimate aim: love. The interesting feature of the “Islamic” harmonia in both poetry and architecture that it combines both, love and mathematics, or what al-Jāḥiẓ called them: Al-hal wal ‘akd.

One of the main elements of harmony is the fact that in both, Islamic motifs and Arabic verses, the importance of the relation between the elements overcomes the importance of the elements themselves 7. The musicality of a verse lies in the verse itself, but the musicality of a poem lies in the multiple verse’s musicality in relation to each other, similarly the musicality or visual pleasure lies in the movement of the eye from a motif to another, a procession of how each motif meets its “brother”.

Another common point between the architect and the poet is that both decide the limits of extensions in a group of motifs, or in a poem. The poet can add verses as much as he wants; he has an infinite of possibilities, as well as the architect, whether in a pattern with a radial or symmetrical growth, the decision of where to stop is very similar in the poet’s and architect’s mental processes.

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Idem, p.91 Idem, p.96

C. The Division Process as a third Modus Operandi Another common point is Al Taqti’ (‫)ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻄﻴﻊ‬, which according to Hamdouni is applicable to architectural plans. However the Taqti’ principle can be applied also to a smaller architectural scale, which is the motif. He sees this principle the reason of poetic musicality, the successive subdivisions of poems into verses, and verses into metric feet, then subdivided into smaller parts (awtad – asbab \ ‫ )ﺍﻭﺗﺎﺩ ﻭﺍﺳﺒﺎﺏ‬which in turn can be divided into Huruf. These successive divisions are highly apparent in Islamic architectural planning, as well as architectural motifs.

major themes: the spiritual symbolism and the structure. Each theme will tackle multiple sub-themes explaining why the aforementioned poem and dome were chosen to go through this symbiotic process. The sub-themes of the structure will tackle the structural similarities of the dome and the poem, starting from the foundation, going through the organizational elements and reaching their unification at the top of the dome, as well as, at the end of the poem; while the sub-themes falling under the “spiritual symbolism” will tackle the outward reaching of the cosmos, as well as the divine manifestation, known as “Al-Tajallī”.

A. Structure A.1 The base of the dome and the rule of mutual love

D. Ambiguity as a fourth Modus Operandi In the Islamic world, decoration plays the role of showing and hiding meaning, a reflection of the apparent and the latent in the poetic meaning of a certain poem or sentence. This intertwining play creates a higher sense of ambiguity, a term very common in Islamic concepts, therefore the Islamic architecture and art have a function more than a “pleasure inducer” as Hamdouni calls them, they become an invitation to “day dream” 8. Both poetics and architecture can take the user out of this world, and both use a very tangible method to reach a very intangible purpose.

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IV.

“YA SALIB AL-QALB” OF ABŪ-L-BAQĀ’ AL-RUNDĪ AND THE DOME OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS IN ALHAMBRA

Oleg Grabar argues in many of his writings that in the building of the Islamic world, there is always something like a “Fairytale”. According to Hamdouni, the fairytale dimension of architecture is the most important factor that will determine the success and the future of a certain monument 9. Therefore one cannot disregard the poetic, spiritual and cosmos related dimension of the Islamic architecture. As an application to the aforementioned theories, the choice fell on the two famous masterpieces: The poem of “Ya Salib Al Qalb (Oh, you heart stealer)” of the Andalusian Sufi poet Abū-l-Baqā’ al-Rundī, and the dome of the Hall of the two sisters of Alhambra de Granada.

One of the main rules of the spiritual relationship between God and human beings is that there should be love between the two. Abu Nasr as-Sarraj says that Sufis prefer God above all, and God prefers them above all else 10. Preference here exists for both parties, but not in the same levels. Love expressed by both parties is evident in all the verses of the chosen poem. The prerequisite of preference or love can be compared with the first prerequisite for the dome, which is the fixed base. The base of the dome is an octagon, i.e. two squares intersecting at an angle of 45 degrees. The reflection of the intersection of the two squares on the same line in Andalusian mystical poems is a prerequisite for the meeting of the soul of the poet with that of God, and their merging on the same line. The right intersection is when the center of each square meets as follows: 9F

Figure 1. Diagrams of the two squares-mutual love interlocking

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"Everything here appears calculated to inspire kind and happy feelings, for everything is delicate and beautiful. The very light falls tenderly from above, through the lantern of a dome tinted and wrought as if by fairy hands." - Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra AlHambra has always been the set of scenes of many novels and poems, especially for Irving, the American author, who took the castle of Alhambra as a major location for his fairytales. Alhambra de Granada, built between 1238 and 1358 in the Era of Al-andalus (711 and 1492). The symbiotic relation between the dome and the poem will be based on two

The prerequisite of mutual love in the poem is represented in the first three verses: First square Soul of ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺭﺑﻊ ﺍﻷﻭﻝ ﺭﻭﺡ‬ the writer ‫ﺍﻟﻛﺎﺗﺏ‬ Second square Soul ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺭﺑﻊ ﺍﻟﺛﺎﻧﻲ ﺭﻭﺡ ﷲ‬ of God Common center of ‫ﻧﻘﻁﺔ ﺍﻟﻭﺳﻁ ﺍﻟﻣﺷﺗﺭﻛﺔ‬ the two squares/souls ‫ﺍﻟﺭﻭﺣﻳﻥ‬/‫ﺑﻳﻥ ﺍﻟﻣﺭﺑﻌﻳﻥ‬ Oh You heart stealer, when You looked at me, Your love for me left me impatient and blind, Do not ask me today what my heart suffered In the first two verses, al-Rundi declares that God loves him. In the third, he declares his love for God, then goes on to describe this love. This structure signifies his previous declaration of the

8 9

Idem, p.88 Idem, p.190

10

As-Sarrāj. Abū Nașr. Kitāb al-lumaʿ fiʾt-tașawwuf., p.25

prerequisite of love in the beginning of the poem, as if he wants to say that without this prerequisite, the poem would not have been. Similarly, without the octagonal base in which the two squares intersect, the dome would not have been.

A.2 The Impossible Triangle and the Impossibility of the Total Revelation Castera drew detailed sketches of the dome, and dedicated long hours to analyzing the way the five thousand Muqarnas were installed. He found that the dome in small areas showed disparities in the Muqarnas, so that the craftsman had to change the shape of the Muqarnas to follow the dome's perfect plan. The sketch drawn by Castera proves that it is impossible to construct the dome as planned, as the architect could not lock in the seventeen triangles which make up the dome. To lock in the dome and make it as symmetric as possible from all sides, the engineer had to change the order of the Muqarnas in the seventeenth, and last, triangle. Castera called the seventeenth triangle the impossible triangle 11 . If we were to explain the symbolism of this structure, we can relate it to the impossibility of total revelation in al-Rundi's poem. Should there be total revelation, the lover would be shocked and fade away (the ninth and tenth verses of the poem). The aforementioned theory of Aljahiz concerning al ‘aqd wal hal (calculation and state) makes perfect sense in this case, a detailed and accurate amount of calculations the architect had to produce in order for the mutual Hal of God and Al rundi (mutual state) to take place. The ‘aqd was the tool of the spacetime frame, or the container, of the Hal. The three components: God (or the beloved), Al-rundi (the lover) and the dome (timespace frame) were the translation of the Greek concept of Eros.

A.3 the Particles of the Dome Scattered in One Space and the Atoms of al Rundi’s Shattered Soul in God’s Space Owen's theory that the dome is similar to the Big Bang is comparable to theory that the dome is divided into small molecules, organized in a complex way. However, like the universe, it grows and stays in place by the will of the Creator 12 . This structure is reflected in al-Rundi's poem as follows: God is responsible for al-Rundi's destruction; He is the reason and the doer. However, He can collect al-Rundi's pieces and by His will put him back in place.

A.4 The Rotation of the Dome and the Cycle of Love This continuous cycle of recollection of atoms, and their vertical ascension to the Creator, then their destruction and recollection, highlights the idea of the Creator who contains all the scattered atoms which match the circular shape of the dome.

This represents the infinite cycle which lovers go through for their beloved. This cycle is reflected in al-Rundi's poem as follows: From the first verse to the verse before the last (1-11), al-Rundi talks about the destruction of his soul for his beloved, and about his suffering from this love. It is as if he is refusing to be drawn back to this cycle again. However, in the last verse, al-Rundi indirectly declares that he is willing to through this cycle again, especially when he asks God to have mercy on his soul.

A.5 The dome's vertical movement and love's vertical movement “The act of love starts on its heathenish way to end up blessed by a transfixing spans from the world beyond.”

Malcolm de Chazal, Sens-Plastique Castera says that the importance of the Hall of the Two Sisters lies in the symbolism of the alchemist passage from the square of the room (representing the physical world where human beings live) to the dome and its center (representing the sky or God's soul). This passage constitutes a vertical, ascending path of movement from the individual conscience to the universal conscience as follows:

Figure 2. Analysis of the dimensionns: the impossible triangle. Jean Marc Castera Figure 3. The Spaces Under the Dome Castera, Jean-Marc Castera.The Muqarnas Dome of the Hall of the Two Sisters in the Alhambra in Granada p.6

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12

Tabbaa, Yasser. The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning, p.71

‫ﺍﻟﻘﺑﺔ – ﺍﻟﻔﺿﺎء ﺍﻟﻛﺑﻳﺭ‬

The Dome – the big space To the octagon – the ascension phase The square of the room – the physical world

‫ﺍﻻﻧﺗﻘﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺳﻲ‬

‫ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﻣﺛﻣﻥ – ﻣﺭﺣﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﻣﺭﺑﻊ ﺍﻟﻐﺭﻓﺔ – ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻟﻡ‬

This ascension is reflected in the poem in the levels of love towards the beloved, as follows: Oh You heart stealer, when You looked at me, Your love for me left me impatient and blind, Do not ask me today what my heart suffered If only farewell and love did not come to be The first four verses are a clear declaration of love by al-Rundi towards his beloved. This love is centered in the heart.

Although the latter reflects a non-tangible love, al-Rundi described this love from a physical perspective, even if its indications were not perceptible. We can place these aspects at the bottom of the vertical line, and affirm that al-Rundi's love is still tied to the small space. The first level of this love is reflected in the square room in the Hall of the Two Sisters (under the dome) It was not voluntarily that I tasted love again It was the fates that intervened In my love which brought about my destruction I was like a moth drawn to flame until it got burned In the fifth verse, al-Rundi declares that he did not choose to fall in love and therefore cannot stop loving. In the sixth verse, this love turns out to be the work of fate, elevating the level of love from human to universal. In the seventh and eighth verses, al-Rundi talks about his suffering from this love, as if he were a moth drawn to a flame. Schimmel considers that mystics love the suffering of love, and consider it a trial by God to test their endurance of pain for the sake of their beloved 13 .

Therefore, al-Rundi's burning does not constitute an end to the vertical ascension of love, but rather a transitional phase towards higher levels. This level of love is reflected in the octagon, the halfway point between the square room and the dome.

Oh You who revealed Yourself to me in secret, crumbling me to pieces And struck my heart when You took me by surprise Look at me, for the soul is destroyed Have mercy on the soul, for the soul is weary 12F

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. Schimmel, AnneMarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam.p.6

In the ninth verse, al-Rundi declares that revelation occurred, and starts describing what happened because of this revelation, until the last verse. The reader expects that al-Rundi would not be ready to repeat this cycle, because his soul, as he says in the eleventh verse, is destroyed and incapable of loving again. The last verse dismisses this deduction. Al-Rundi asks from the beloved to have mercy on his soul, as if he is shyly going back on what he had said, and declares his readiness to enter this cycle again. In the last four verses, al-Rundi does not use any indications of physical love, or the love related to the individual conscience that Castera has talked about, but uses terms related to the universal conscience (secret, soul) This level of love is reflected in the dome itself, and the black hole represents the destruction of the soul. We can imagine al-Rundi standing under the dome, with his head raised upward, leaving his body in the square room, and his soul raised towards the top of the dome. It is the last phase of the ascending love.

Figure 4. The Vertical Movement of Love and its Corresponding Spaces

Destruction in love Vast space Love with the soul (Ascending movement) The octagon Love with the body (Heart) Small space

‫ﺍﻟﺗﻠﻑ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺿﺎء ﺍﻟﻛﺑﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺏ ﻣﻥ ﺧﻼﻝ ﺍﻟﺭﻭﺡ‬ (‫)ﺣﺭﻛﺔ ﺍﻻﻧﺗﻘﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺛﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺏ ﻣﻥ ﺧﻼﻝ ﺍﻟﺟﺳﺩ‬ (‫ ﻛﺑﺩ‬+ ‫)ﻗﻠﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺿﺎء ﺍﻟﺻﻐﻳﺭ‬

A.6 The diminishing distance between the diameters of the dome and the diminishing distance between the soul of the lover and the soul of the beloved The distance between the diameters of the dome diminishes during the vertical movement. The closer the distance to the dome is, the smaller the circle. We can liken the diminishing diameter to the diminishing distance between the soul of the lover and the soul of the beloved in the poem. AlRundi's love starts to take shape in the physical world, and ends up in the mystical world the closer he gets to the beloved, until the diameter becomes a black point. At this point, the space between the two souls is gone and the revelation process begins, or the destruction process of al-Rundi.

B. Spiritual Symbolism B.1 The dome and the poem reflect the same divine purpose Grabar says that the Hall of the Two Sisters did not have a specific function like all the other halls in Alhambra, which were dedicated for meetings, visitation or invitations. He also says that Alhambra possesses two truths, the first material, targeting the senses, and the second metaphysical, targeting the mind and the heart. Grabar links the first truth with the desires and senses, and the second with the cosmos, or anything that transcends small space 14. Given that the hall serves no specific function, we can consider it a free, open space for those seeking the second truth about which Grabar has talked, i.e. the metaphysical truth that al-Rundi craves in his poem. Al-Rundi addresses God in his poem, asking Him to look at him. The call is obvious at the end of the poem when he says, "Look at me, for the soul is shattered – ‫"ﺍﻧﻅﺭ ﺍﻟﻲ ﻓﺈﻥ ﺍﻟﻧﻔﺱ ﻗﺩ ﺗﻠﻔﺕ‬.

Al-Rundi wants God to look at him, or to choose him from among all other lovers. Al-Rundi placed this verse at the end of the poem, as it represents the highest levels of love, or the ultimate wish of a lover, which is for God to look at him. Is it possible that this hall serves a spiritual function for al-Rundi or for other poets imploring God? Could it be that the center of the dome is the window through which God gazes down on his lovers?

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B.2 Absence of Divine Transfiguration, or Theophany (Attajalli - ‫)ﺍﻟﺘﺠﻠﻲ‬ The dome reflects an important mystical concept: the impossibility of the divine theophany. In her book “Mystical Dimensions of Islam,” Schimmel states that the term mysticism in Greek, "myein," means "to close the eyes" and 14 Grabar, Oleg. From Dome of Heaven to Pleasure Dome, p.17

"absence of vision". In English, the term "mysticism" is derived from "mystic" and "mystery" 15. If we look at the dome (Figure 1), we clearly see the reflection of induced light penetration on the Muqarnas. It gradually fades away from the wider diameter of the dome towards the center, which is the highest point. Visibility dissipates in the middle, and the center of the dome looks like a link between all that is under the dome, or miniature space, and all the vast space that is outside, a link of the “microcosm” to the “macrocosm”.

The first phase of this transition is letting go of the material world, and moving from the small space to the wider space 16.

This is a bit evident in al-Rundi's poem, in which there are no signs of his attachment to the material world, for he only talks about weariness and divine love. The absence of divine visibility may be a common factor between the dome, which is amplified by the muqarnas, and the poem. The similarity of this indication in al-Rundi's poem lies in the method of revelation, which is not at the visual level, but the mystical one.

Al-Rundi says, "Oh You who revealed Yourself to me in secret, crumbling me to pieces" (verse 10). This verse refuted revelation at the visual level, or at other sensory levels. It indicates that there has to be an absence of visibility, for if it were to happen, it would crumble lovers to pieces, driving them into non-existence. We came across this idea in the following Quranic verse: "And when Moses arrived at our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.’ [ Allah ] said, ‘You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me.’ But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, ‘Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.’" (AlAaraf 143) The relationship between al-Rundi and God appears as follows: God is the creator and al-Rundi is the creature.

There is clear level difference between al-Rundi's soul and God's soul. Unlike other mystical schools, which reflect the union between God's soul and that of human beings, it seems that al-Rundi follows the early mystical schools which Schimmel mentioned in her book 17 . This difference in the poem is reflected in the dome and center. The center of the dome does not blend with the other Muqarnas, but appears clearly in the middle.The origin this relation between the lovers and the space of love can go back to the Greek mythology, “the concept of Eros as lack callsfor three structural components: the lover, the beloved, and the space-time that comes between 14F

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15

Schimmel, AnneMarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam, introduction Idem, p.4 17 Idem,p.22 16

them.” 18 Here, the dome plays the main role in combining the lover and the beloved into one entity.

B.3 The Source of Divine Love in the Dome and in AlRundi's Poem The center of the dome looks like a black hole that represents the transition from the physical world to the cosmos.

Black holes are infinite energies of attraction, and therefore the cause of the magnetic attraction phase. This is evident in the first verse of the poem "Oh You heart stealer." It is as if it were God, or the black hole in the dome, who stole his heart, and was the main driver of this love, given God’s infinite attraction.

Owen draws similarities between the Hall of the Two Sisters and the Big Bang 19. Indeed, the dome is made of more than 5,000 Muqarnas, so Owen's simile makes sense. The small patterns and the pointed, molecular tips give off the impression similar to a universe, as if a star exploded and stardust dispersed over the surface of the dome. We can compare this simile to the moment of revelation in al-Rundi's poem. It is as if an explosion rocked his very soul so hard that he was scattered to pieces and faded away.

Bachelard said, “Many are the intimate dreams represented in this domed ceiling. Love is always reflected in the center of the dome.” 20 The center of the dome not only represents nonmanifestation, but also the epitome of intimacy between God and human beings. This factor being in the middle goes along with the following verse: "Do not ask me today what my heart suffered." With the heart being the source of love for al-Rundi, there is no doubt that the dome and the heart are the center of mutual love between the lover and the beloved.

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V.

CONCLUSION

The fact that the relationships aforementioned belong to two works of art done in different years proves that the mental processes of the poet and the architect breath from each other, and that the prevailing atmosphere in Andalusia back then affected the poet, as much as it affected the architect.

Hamdouni states that the authors of the architectural spaces of the Islamic world did not need to be poets to be influenced by poetic sensibilities “as important and learned men, architectural planners were regularly in contact with poets and poetry, they were also probably aware of the craft of poetry, and were sensitive to poetic form 21 . The modes of operation of both architecture and poetry are highly clear to the eye and soul 20F

18

Gomez, Perez. Built upon Love, p.32 Rosser-Owen, Mariam Islamic Arts From Spain, p.57 20 Bachelard, Gaston. The Poetics of Space, p.40 21 Gomez, Perez. Built upon Love, p.105 19

when bounded to an “erotic” space as Gomez names it. The erotic space is both the physical space and the thought.

However, what is certain that in architecture and poetry the primary mover is love, the primary tool of “recognition” and “representation”, and the primary infuser is the human use. The inter-relation of poetry and architecture is the perfect example of biological symbiosis among breathing elements.

Acknowledgment Special acknowledgement to Dr. Maher Jarrar and Dr.Samir Mahmoud. Without their continuous support, none of this work would have been accomplished.

REFERENCES [1]

From Dome of Heaven to Pleasure Dome. Oleg Grabar. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 49, No. 1, March 1990.

[2]

The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning. Yasser Tabbaa. Muqarnas, Vol. 3 pp. 61-74, 1985.

[3]

Mystical Dimensions of Islam. Annemarie Schimmel. The University of North Carolina Press, April 1978.

[4]

Islamic Arts From Spain. Mariam Rosser-Owen. Victoria and Albert Museum Publishing, 2010.

[5]

The Poetics of Space. Gaston Bachelard, 1958. Presses Universitaires de France. Translated by Maria Jolas, 1994.

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Kitāb al-lumaʿ fiʾt-tașawwuf. Abū Nașr as-Sarrāj. Edited by Reynold A.Nicholson. Leiden and London, 1914.

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The Muqarnas Dome of the Hall of the Two Sisters in the Alhambra in Granada.

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Jean-Marc Castera. The work of Jules Goury and Owen Jones. Springer, 2007.

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[10] Built Upon Love. Perez Gomez. MIT Press, 2008.

[11] Art and Architecture in the Islamic Tradition. Aesthetics, Politics and Desire in Early Islam. Mohammed Hamdouni Alami. I. B. Tauris; Reprint edition, 2013.

[12] Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem. Geert Jan van Gelder. Brill Publishers, 1982.