Sources for medieval middle-eastern architecture.

[Zaheer]

I would love to have a crack at making some rural/non townhouse buildings for the crusades era. I've tracked down a couple of books with applicable chapters but does anyone have any go to image dumps or online resources for the vernacular architecture of this period/location? I have the sneaking suspicion that the generic 'square with stairs' is probably fine in most cases, but would love to be surprised!

[OSHIROmodels]

How about picking a small, rural village on google maps and doing a street view, might bring up some surprises?

cheers

James

[Zaheer]

That's a good idea, but I'm hoping to be as 'appropriate' (I hesitate to use the word 'accurate'!) to the period. I know that not much may have changed, but would like to make sure.

[MamlukRaider]

I am glad you chose this era for your new project its a personal favorite of mine
here are some references to get you started
the first image is al Qasr in Egypt
The second shows Abbasid era architecture in Raqqa Syria
The last shows a riverside town

[Patrice]

Just found this about traditional architecture in Syria. Text in French, some pictures, drawings, and floor plans.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000642/064253FB.pdf

[Zaheer]

This looks excellent. Many thanks