Islamic Geometries
Petronas Towers - Islamic Bases
Petronas Towers is a set of twin buildings located in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It is built around the image of the 8-point star. Both towers have interlocking square bases forming the Rub-el-Hizb. Built in a predominantly Muslim country, the building reflects the influence of surrounding cultures on the construction of architecture.
The Petronas Towers are commercial buildings open to the general public from the outside, with the inside requiring payment for admission. For non-Malaysian customers over the age of 18, weekend admissions cost 137 Malaysian Ringlets (RM). The tallest twin buildings in the world, they act as a major toursit site for Kuala Lumpur. They stand as cultural and otherwordly representations in an otherwise wordly space.
Images of the Rub-el-Hizb or Seljuk star
Rub-el-Hizb is an 8 pointed star often times used to seperate sections of the Quran.
Interesting Fact - The State Symbol of Uzbekistan has the Rub-el-Hizb at its top.
Blue Dome Cafe - Early Experimentation
The Blue Dome Cafe was constructed in Soviet-ruled Uzbekistan in 1970. Tashkent, where the cafe is situated, like Kuala Lumpur or Taipei, is the capital of Uzbekistan, though not as urbanized. It is another Muslim-majority region. The Blue Dome Cafe is built in the image of Islamic mosques. A series of bright blue domes acts as roofs. A commercial building on a smaller scale, the building acts as a restaurant. It is one of the first experimentations of Islamic imagery in secular spaces.