Aref Azizpour Shoubi; Ahad Nejad Ebrahimi; Yaser Shahbazi
Abstract
Geometry plays an integral role in the architectural production of all cultures. Islamic scholars classified it into categories. In treatises of scholars and professionals, volume geometry ...
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Geometry plays an integral role in the architectural production of all cultures. Islamic scholars classified it into categories. In treatises of scholars and professionals, volume geometry was one manifestation of this science. Understanding the relationship between thinking about volume and geometry among Muslim mathematicians in different eras is important for understanding volume geometry in Iranian architectural works. This research focuses on the beginning of Islam until the 5th century Hijri. Its purpose belongs to the basic-theoretical category. Interpretive-historical research has been used to answer: Geometry is classified as a science according to what basis? How have Muslim mathematicians viewed volume geometry in light of this classification? Al-Farabi divided geometry into theory and practice, and Akhwan al-Safa attributed mystical aspects to Pythagorean thinking. Emphasis on practice in Islamic classification reflected the importance of applying theory. This transformed volume geometry from abstract topics—such as creating volumes of the universe—into philosophical, trigonometric, computational, and conic foundations. Volume calculation evolved from comparative methods to numerical techniques. References to volume ranged from sculptures to spatial dimensions.