Medieval Mosques Illuminated by Math

Medieval Mosques Illuminated by Math
by Nell Boyce

All Things Considered, February 22, 2007 · Historic buildings in the Islamic world are often covered with breathtakingly intricate geometric designs. Both artists and mathematicians have long puzzled over them, wondering how the patterns were created.

Now, a Harvard physicist has some new ideas about the designs and the advanced math behind them.

The research, conducted by Peter Lu of Harvard University and Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University, appears in the journal Science.

Several years ago in Uzbekistan, Lu came across a beautiful geometric design on the wall of a madrassa… http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7544360&sc=emaf