Alfarje

Alfarje ceiling in the Church of Santa María in Maluenda, Spain
Decorated alfarje ceiling in the Alcázar of Seville in Spain

Alfarje (meaning "paneled ceiling" in Spanish) is a type of horizontal wooden ceiling primarily found in Islamic (or Moorish) architecture[1] and Mudéjar architecture.[2] The word derives from Andalusi Arabic al-farsh, meaning "bed", related to Classical Arabic farsh (فرش), meaning "tapestry".[3] The ceiling structure is made through a series of beams called girders, sometimes intricately carved and stylized with geometric patterns.[4] Typically, such ceilings are employed when they support a floor above that can be walked on.[5]

One decorative technique that creates geometric patterns by nailing and interlacing pieces of wood onto a flat ceiling is known as ataujía in Spanish (adjective form: ataujerado/ataujerada). Examples of such ornamental ceilings are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the same technique is also found in other types of woodwork from the same period.[6][7][8]

Other notable buildings that have alfarje ceilings include the Alcázar of Seville,[2] the Mosque of Cordoba, the Church of San Millán in Segovia, and the Aljafería Palace of Zaragoza.[citation needed] It is also found in the ceilings of many convents and churches in central Mexico, where the influence of the Spanish Mudéjar style is apparent.[2]

References

  1. ^ Harris, Cyril (1977). Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture. Courier Dover Publications. p. 9.
  2. ^ a b c Jackson, Robert H. (2018). Communities on a Frontier in Conflict: The Jesuit Guaraní Mission Los Santos Mártires del Japón. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-5275-1828-5.
  3. ^ Corriente, Federico (2008). Dictionary of Arabic and Allied Loanwords: Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician and Kindred Dialects. BRILL. p. 105. ISBN 978-90-04-16858-9.
  4. ^ López Guzmán, Rafael (2000). Arquitectura mudéjar. Cátedra. ISBN 84-376-1801-0.
  5. ^ Puertas, Antonio Fernández; Jones, Owen (1997). The Alhambra. Saqi Books. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-86356-466-6.
  6. ^ Bloom, Jonathan; Blair, Sheila S. (2009). "Woodwork". Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture. Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN 978-0-19-530991-1.
  7. ^ López, Jesús Bermúdez (2011). The Alhambra and the Generalife: Official Guide. TF Editores. pp. 109, 334. ISBN 9788492441129.
  8. ^ Garcia Porras, Alberto (2020). "Productive Activities and Material Culture". In Fábregas, Adela (ed.). The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada between East and West: (Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries). Brill. p. 308. ISBN 978-90-04-44359-4.