The sources of Ibn Tulun’s soffit decoration

The mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun is one of the most importantmosques in Egypt. It is the second largest mosque in Cairo, the third congregationalmosque; it was built in 876 by Ahmad ibn Tulun. The most striking feature of themosque is its stucco decoration. There is no evidence of the presence of this style ofstucco, which was strongly influenced from Samarra, in any other monuments inEgypt; the mosque of Ibn Tulun is the only monument standing today in Cairo whichhas this style of stucco apart from the remains of a small Tulunid hammam that wasdiscovered in 1932 and was decorated with stucco.1 The stucco designs on the soffitswhile being strongly influenced by Samarra, arguably display also Roman andByzantine influences. The soffits are carved with intricate abstract floral designs verysimilar to Samarra stucco, but in a geometric framework that shows Roman andByzantine influence as well. Both geometric and vegetal patterns are found whichwhen combined lead to countless varieties of ornamental patterns are of late antiquetimes.2 Samarra styles A and B (explained in chapter two) represent an evolutionaryprocess that underwent a development from Sasanian stucco until it was employed atIbn Tulun; for example the vine scroll transformed gradually from a naturalisticpattern into an abstract pattern.3 The analysis of Roman and Byzantine mosaics willindicate a connection to the patterns used in Ibn Tulun. This has been noticed byearlier scholars. According to Ernst Diez, the geometric patterns of Ibn Tulun mosqueshow the influence of Roman mosaics from late antique times as well as that of Sasanian stucco.4 According to Doris Behrens-Abouseif, the decoration of IbnTulun’s mosque shows a strong influence of Byzantine and Samarran works of art.5She also mentions that Sasanian culture inspired the works of the Abbasids and thatboth the Byzantine and Sasanian cultures contributed to the evolution of thenaturalistic floral and abstract decorative patterns.6 Some of the motifs like theherringbone border, pearls and spiral are Byzantine and were used later byMesopotamian and Coptic artists.7 The geometric patterns can be generated by usingsome fundamentals of mathematics. For example by using circles and connecting thecenters with straight lines a triangular grid with a symmetrical pattern can beachieved, and by connecting the centers in a triangular grid, a rhombic or a hexagonalgrid can be achieved.8