''Alfarje'' (meaning "paneled ceiling" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) is a type of horizontal wooden ceiling primarily found in Islamic (or Moorish) architecture and Mudéjar architecture. The word derives from

Andalusi Arabic Andalusi Arabic (), also known as Andalusian Arabic, was a variety or varieties of Arabic spoken mainly from the 9th to the 17th century in Al-Andalus, the regions of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) once under Muslim rule. It b ...

''al-farsh'', meaning "bed", related to Classical Arabic ''farsh'' (فرش), meaning "tapestry". The ceiling structure is made through a series of beams called girders, sometimes intricately carved and stylized with

geometric patterns A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...

. Typically, such ceilings are employed when they support a floor above that can be walked on. One decorative technique that creates geometric patterns by nailing and interlacing pieces of wood onto a flat ceiling is known as ''ataujía'' in Spanish (adjective form: ''ataujerado/ataujerada''). Examples of such ornamental ceilings are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the same technique is also found in other types of woodwork from the same period. Other notable buildings that have ''alfarje'' ceilings include the Alcázar of Seville, the Mosque of Cordoba, the Church of San Millán in

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...

, and the Aljafería Palace of

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

. It is also found in the ceilings of many convents and churches in central

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, where the influence of the Spanish Mudéjar style is apparent.

References

{{Reflist Architecture in Spain Ceilings Moorish architecture Mudéjar architecture