horseshoe arch

Keyhole-shaped architectural opening

A horseshoe arch curves beyond a semicircle, narrowing at its base so the opening is wider in the middle than at the bottom—resembling the shape of a horseshoe.

The form is characteristic of Islamic and Moorish architecture, appearing prominently in Spanish monuments like the Great Mosque of Córdoba.

Moorish

Alhambra

Medieval Islamic palace-fortress

Al-AndalusMedieval Islamic Spain
mosqueIslamic house of worship
minaretMosque tower with balcony

caliphate · arabesque · keyhole · emirate · Maghreb · Islamic · Granada · Seville · Toledo · Alcazar

gateway

portal

Imposing entrance or gate

entrancePoint of access
doorwayPassage into a room
thresholdPoint of beginning

archway · passage · opening · city gate · triumphal · ceremonial · processional · façade · vestibule

ornamental

tracery

Decorative branching stonework

foliagePlant's leafy covering
acanthusSpiny-leaved ornamental plant
rosetteCircular ribbon ornament

fretwork · capitals · quatrefoil · corbel · molding · polychrome · stucco · geometric · interlace · bichrome

architectural

keystone

Arch's central locking stone

springerOne that leaps
spandrelSpace flanking arch curves
impostTax on traded goods

colonnade · pillar · column · capital · abutment · centering

ecclesiastical

Romanesque

Round-arched medieval building style

basilicaColonnaded church with apse
naveChurch's main interior
apseVaulted church recess

chancel · transept · cloister · abbey · cathedral · chapel · monastery · ambulatory · narthex

Opposites

arch form/shape

horseshoe archpointed arch

Arch with angled apex

Gothic arch · post-and-lintel · Greek architecture · flying buttress

Family

horse, shoe, arch, architect, arcade, arched, architecture, archaic, horseshoe

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G