Mysterious Cities and Grand Palaces of One Thousand and One Nights

Abstract

One Thousand and One Nights has been a source of inspiration for studies in art, literature, cinema, and architecture since the day it was published. Quite unorthodox and reflecting the mysterious world of the East, this text penetrates its readers’ imagination and sets them on a mysterious journey. Having emerged during the Umayyad era and possessing a great past, the science and art idea of the East started to attract the attention of the West in various areas of art after the 17th century, and the translation of various texts of One Thousand and One Nights into a number of languages during the 19th century. Art branches such as painting, music, opera, ballet, theatre, and cinema have been affected by these texts. Islamic countries have made significant contributions to the development of Islamic architecture with social and cultural elements. The period when tales of one thousand and one nights were told is the period in which this architectural understanding was applied. This study investigates the mysterious cities and surrealist gorgeous palaces in the stories of One Thousand and One Nights from the point of view of the architectural features of the era.