Arches are a beautiful fixture of Islamic architecture.Common in both entrances and interiors, Islamic arches are categorized into four main styles: pointed, ogee, horseshoe, and multifoil. 
The first appearance of the pointed arch in the Muslim World was traced to the Al-Aqsa Mosque(780) but the Palace of Ukhaidir Iraq remains the first where the pointed arch was used constructively and systematically.
Image(R)Ukhaidir Palace(720-800 CE)
Image(L)Al-Aqsa Mosque( 780)
Image(R)Ukhaidir Palace(720-800 CE)
Image(L)Al-Aqsa Mosque( 780)
Scholars think ogee arches originated somewhere in the Middle East,possibly Persia or Morocco (14,15 centuries) An ogee arch is formed by two connected curves.The upper curve is concave& lower curve is convex,When the two curves are linked together they form an S-shaped curve.
Horseshoe arch is the emblematic arch of Islamic architecture.The first Muslim adaptation and modification of the design of the arch occurred in the invention of the horseshoe type. This was first employed in the Umayyads Great Mosque of Damascus (706-715)
Mosque images
Mosque images
The term is French, “foil” means “leaf. Multifoil arches are famous element of Islamic art and architecture. The best surviving examples are La Mezquita in Córdoba(L) and the Alhambra palace in Granada (R)(mainly 1338–1390).
