Sacred Architecture is deeply symbolic, reflecting a culture's awareness of its relationship with the divine. A vivid and richly illustrated account of the way in which different cultures translate their faith into architecture, this book examines how themes that are common throughout the world are expressed with wonderful diversity through structure and embellishment.

• Presents a superb pictorial record of some of the world's most outstanding sacred buildings, with more than 200 photographs and illustrations, mostly in full color, including specially commissioned plans, diagrams, and maps.
  
  
• Captures the power and beauty of a wide range of temples, shrines, and other sacred buildings, from the apyramids and medieval cathedrals to the tribal architecture of the indonesian islands.
  
  
• Explores such key themes as choosing a site, space and boundaries, feng shui, celestial alignments, consecration and purification, and the architecture of the afterlife.
  
  
• Features a detailed visual treatment, with maps, photography, and artwork, of 17 sacred sites, from the Kaaba at Mecca to the oracle at Delphi.
  
  
• Concludes with a glossary of architectural terms and a guide to the construction techniques of sacred buildings.