Dome designs

finds herself in awe of the grandeur that comes attached with Delhi's India Islamic Cultural Centre.

You may have looked on in awe at images of the splendid Blue Mosque in Istanbul; the Sultan Ahmet Mosque with its six minarets and blue tiles "" all enough to rival any Disney-assembled castle.

You may have imagined the romance of Persian architecture, and you would probably have set your eyes on our own Taj Mahal, whether or not you are currently voting for its inclusion in the "wonders" list.

Now, some of that architectural opulence has rubbed off on Delhi as well "" and we are not talking about the scores of medieval buildings and tombs that dot the city.

At the newly opened India Islamic Cultural Centre in the capital, bang next door to the Lodhi Gardens, all eyes are on a dome. This is a modern rendition of the motif that dominates typical Islamic architecture around the world and has been embellished by the use of calligraphed blue, green and yellow tiles imported all the way from Iran.

"The government of Iran donated these," says Shirajuddin Qureshi, president of the centre, who also conceptualised the design for the entire space despite having no formal architectural training.

"I travelled several times to Iran and would read up on the subject and then tell the architect what exactly we wanted," Qureshi explains. "In a couple of years' time, this will be counted as a great piece of national heritage," he adds.

The cultural centre was proposed way back in 1984 but took a long time coming "" it was inaugurated only earlier this year in June by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The original building was constructed eight years ago but had fallen into disrepair before the trust that runs the centre was finally able to "rescue" it at a cost of Rs 16 crore, much of it in donations, including by foreign governments and individuals.

By all accounts it has been quite a decent "rescue" act. While the architects worked on the facade "" part of which is also embellished with tiles, incidentally "" and the interiors, workers were brought in from Iran to set the tiles on both the outside and inside of the central dome.

The entire structure was first assembled on the floor, as is the practice, and then raised to the ceiling. The process took a month's time.

The kashigari (calligraphy) on the tiles itself is a rare and dying art with no practitioners available in India today though they did flourish in the Mughal courts several centuries earlier.

The calligraphy is first done on paper and then transferred to the tiles that are then baked and brightly coloured. Shades of blue, green, yellow and brown are the usually preferred colours, and have been used at the centre.

In the central hall, three panels of carved wood are placed above the stairway which may remind you of Kashmiri carvings on walnut wood. But all these are very much Delhi, sourced from the Mughal Art Gallery in Zakir Nagar.

And there is a fabulous, huge chandelier made specially at Ferozabad, reminiscent of all the grand "Muslim socials" that you may have seen on the big screen earlier.

It dominates and lights up the whole space inside, illuminating the tiled dome and setting the surrounding glass windowpanes afire with its reflection.

At dusk, when the city lights fade away and the Ferozabad glass is all aglimmer, you wonder what the Ayats etched on the tiles say about our day, our times.