The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c23.s4.168.5

v4.c23.s4.168.5

Of a somewhat similar composition most large domes have been built, as for instance that of St Sophia and also the Pantheon, and here may be suspected slight evidence in support of that Turkish attribution to which the ‘Ādil Shāh dynasty laid claim, as this method of construction was probably derived from Ottoman sources. Another indication that the builders of Bījāpur may have sought far and wide for inspiration is shown by the device of intersecting arches referred to above, which made the raising of this great dome in such a manner a practical expedient. For probably the only other example of this particular system by which a dome may be supported is in the cupola of the *mihrāb* vestibule at Cordova in Spain erected considerably over six hundred years before.