Visual lansuase in Mamluk architecture： A semiotic analysis of the Funerary Complex of Sultan Qaitbay in Cairo

作     者：Nelly Shafik Ramzy 

作者机构：Department of Architectural Engineering Faculty of En~ineerin~ Sciences Sinai University El Masaeed El Arish City Egypt 

出 版 物：《Frontiers of Architectural Research》 (建筑学研究前沿（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2013年第2卷第3期

页      面：338-353页

核心收录：

学科分类：0303[法学-社会学] 1305[艺术学-设计学（可授艺术学、工学学位）] 0601[历史学-考古学] 1304[艺术学-美术学] 0202[经济学-应用经济学] 13[艺术学] 1301[艺术学-艺术学理论] 08[工学] 081304[工学-建筑技术科学] 0813[工学-建筑学] 0814[工学-土木工程] 0833[工学-城乡规划学] 

主　　题：Architecturalsemiotics Semiotics of space Architectural lan-guage Symbotism Architectural rhetoric 

摘      要：Cultural background plays a significant role in the sphere of visual art. Semiotics as a discipUne is recognized as a useful tool in gauging cultural background and identifying signs that might represent the message of a certain work. Given the rich cultural context of Mamluk architecture, this form of art can be used in studying semiotics. Semiotic tools were employed to interpret the expression of architectura（ forms and to formulate a subsequent understanding of these architectura（ forms by turning each element into a communication tool that elucidates meaning. The Sufle tradition was the dominant Islamic practice during the Mamluk period, during which metaphysics, numbers, and geometry were regarded as indispensab（e tools in manifesting the nature of divinity and the order of being. A semiotic reading of the Funerary Complex of Sultan Qaitbay in Cairo, regarded as one of the perfect works of this era, was proposed to study the reflections of these notions on architectural works. Several messages were embodied in the building, such as functional or technical messages. The semiotic reading in this study is solely concerned with the spiritual message of the building.