Glossary · P
Plinth
The square slab at the bottom of a column base or pedestal.
See also: Base
Rules that use the word
The Taj Mahal: a composition of equal heights. Balance the tomb so that the dome with its finial rises as high above the pishtaq as the pishtaq rises above the plinth, and let every element be answered by its mirror image on both axes.
Minarets that frame, not touch. Stand the minarets free at the corners of the plinth, so that they frame the tomb in every view without crowding it.
The three parts of an order. An order consists of a column (base, shaft and capital) carrying an entablature (architrave, frieze and cornice), optionally raised on a pedestal (plinth, die and cap). Each part is proportioned to the lower diameter of the column.
The Friday mosque on its rock. Raise the Friday mosque on the highest ground of the city and on a lofty plinth, approached by broad flights of steps on three sides, with its main gate facing the palace and its prayer hall facing Mecca.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters The Anatomy of an Order, The Tuscan Order, The Islamic World.
A feature of Korean architecture.
Nearby in the glossary
Pishtaq · Pitch · Plate tracery · Pleaching · Poché · Podium · Pointed arch · Pointed architecture