Pointed arch

These allowed the construction of cathedrals, palaces and other buildings with dramatically greater height and larger windows which filled them with light.

[3] Crude arches pointed in shape have been discovered from the Bronze Age site of Nippur dated earlier than 2700 BC.

[4] There are many other Greek examples, late Roman and Sassanian examples, mostly evidenced in early church building in Syria and Mesopotamia, but also in engineering works such as the Byzantine Karamagara Bridge, with a pointed arch of 17 m (56 ft) span, making "the pre-Muslim origins of pointed architecture an unassailable contention".

Early examples include the portals of the Qubbat al-Sulaiybiyya, an octagonal pavilion, and the Qasr al-'Ashiq palace, both at Samarra, built by the Abbasid caliphs in the 9th century for their new capital.

[15] The appearance of the pointed arch in European Romanesque architecture during the second half of the 11th century, for example at Cluny Abbey, is ascribed to the Islamic influence.

[16] Some researchers follow Viollet-le-Duc in acknowledging the spread of Arabic architecture forms through Italy, Spain and France, yet suggesting an independent invention of the pointed shape in some cases.

The reduction of thrust on supports that a pointed arch provided, as compared to a semicircular one with the same load and span, was quickly recognized by medieval European builders.

In a barrel vault, the round arch over the nave pressed down directly onto the walls, which had to be very thick, with few windows, to support the weight.

With the addition of the flying buttress, the weight could be supported by curving columns outside the building, which meant that the Cathedrals could be even taller, with immense stained glass windows.

Portals of Cathedrals in the Gothic period were usually in the form of a pointed arch, surrounded by sculpture, often symbolizing the entrance to heaven.

This allowed arch stones to be cut at the quarry in quantity with great precision, then delivered and assembled at the site, where the layers put them together, with the assurance that they would fit.

In the 19th century, pointed arches appeared in varied structures, including the Gothic train station in Peterhof, Russia (1857).