The Aesthetic Design of the Ornaments on the Walls and Door of Al-Mustansiriya School, Baghdad

With the development of humankind and the need for an environment that imposes upon it a certain order and type, the necessity arose to contemplate what could grant Islamic buildings or schools, in earlier times, both aesthetic and functional value within the social reality. Beyond their aesthetic dimensions in terms of design aspects, architecture being one of the earliest forms of art served as a refuge of values in artistic formation, rooted in the nature of the local environment and extending to what became known of architectural arts. These reflected a type of formation in which the architect combined functional and aesthetic aspects in a form of architecture that employed the walls of the gate of the Al-Mustansiriya School, considered both a school and a mosque. The study sheds light on the reasons for its recognition and use in architecture, as well as the causes behind the formation of the decorations on both sides of the gate, including what is known as the dankha or the supporting column of the school’s gate. The aim of the research is to identify the structural foundations upon which these walls of the school were built, considering them as complementary to the construction both artistically and functionally. The research emphasizes the importance of addressing this subject as an aspect of creative expression recognized by the Iraqi architect, and as a topic of study for its dual qualities of utility and ornamentation within the building.