ABSTRACT
To emphasize the plural and discontinuous semiotic codes that may contribute to the meaning of a building, Charles Jencks likens architecture to opera. Both art forms attempt to achieve a gesamtkünstwerk, a totalizing aesthetic experience, 1 by forging an “impure, pluralistic amalgam” 2 of diverse artistic and semiotic systems. Besides the manipulation of space most immediately associated with the builder’s art, surface decoration may employ graphic and pictorial design, sculpture, and coloration and draw on the skills of painters, ceramists, metalworkers, and stonecarvers. The prominence given to the libretto, or verbal text, in this artistic amalgam constitutes one of the distinguishing features of Islamic architecture. Calligraphy is, after all, the most prestigious visual art in the Islamic world and may sometimes fill roles played by the figurative arts in Western architecture. 3 The texts of these architectural librettos often come ready made, as in the complex programs of Qur’anic inscriptions found in many mosques and tombs. In secular buildings, however, we may find librettos that are composed specifically for their setting, such as the poems that adorn the walls and fountains of the Alhambra palace. 4 In addition to poems inscribed on the building itself, others were designed to be performed on the stage of the building, celebrating the structure and its patron and adding an aural dimension to the architectural experience. 5
