The domed ceiling of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, a 17th-century mosque located on the eastern side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Iran. The eight-fold symmetry of the dome's interior is created by rings of ornamental bands filled with arabesque patterns that become smaller and smaller towards the top. Such use of symmetry is common in Islamic architecture, which tends to emphasize aniconism through its use of geometric patterns and calligraphy.Photograph: Phillip Maiwald