Athar Al-Zaman | Veiled Realms Challenge

Author
Jose Andres Zuluaga
Published
Updated
Read Time
~ 2 min
Categories
Environmental Design
Athar Al-Zaman | Veiled Realms Challenge banner

Athar Al-Zaman is a spatial and temporal exploration centered on an ancestral sanctuary, where architecture stands as a testament to a faith that understood devotion through form and sacred geometry. Inspired by Abbasid spirituality and the studies of the explorer Pascal Coste, this temple was conceived as a contemplative journey that modulates light through successive arches, guiding the visitor from shadow into radiance.

Each element establishes a dialogue with light: the inner arches capture and filter it across the carvings, while the final opening unfolds toward the horizon to reveal a veiled realm "Baj-Sheerh'', the port city imagined by Max Bedulenko.

This project does not seek to replicate but to reinterpret the flow, atmosphere, and spatial intent of an architectural legacy, placing it in dialogue with the possibilities of the present. Thus, the echoes of the past find new form within the light of the pixel. Ultimately, Athar Al-Zaman is a reflection on what we preserve, how we transform it, and how these ancestral places continue to leave their mark on our perception of time and memory.

This project will make use of materials and props from Leartes Studios Cosmos Library, complemented by the creation of custom trimsheets and unique assets developed specifically for Athar Al-Zaman, ensuring visual consistency and artistic control throughout the environment.

Modular System: Blockout Kit & Prefabs

This is the Modular Blockout Kit created for the pre-production phase of Athar Al-Zaman. The pieces are color-coded (Color ID) to allow quick identification between the complete kit breakdown and the assembled prefabs. The first image displays the complete kit breakdown, while the second showcases a few sample prefabs assembled from the modules.

Credits & Inspiration

3D Assets & Models | Cosmos by Leartes. (n.d.). Cosmos by Leartes Studios. Retrieved May 28, 2025, from https://cosmos.leartesstudios.com/assets?genre=historical

Baj-Sheerh, Max Bedulenko. (2022, October 27). ArtStation. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/eJB2rZ

Coste, P. (1839a). Détails de la Mosquée Teyloun. NYPL Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3fbb39c0-c6cf-012f-f0cc-58d385a7bc34

Coste, P. (1839b). Vue extérieure de la Mosquée Hassan et de la Place de Roumeyleh—NYPL Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/631b50f0-c6cf-012f-8c77-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0

Coste, P. (1939). Vue de la cour de la Mosquée Teyloun—NYPL Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/605ed850-c6cf-012f-65f4-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0

Dennis G. Jarvis. (2004). English: Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, Cairo [Graphic]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_archer10_%28Dennis%29_-_Egypt-13A-061_%28cropped%29.jpg

Kheezwara, Max Bedulenko. (2022, January 11). ArtStation. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/14x19G

Mortel, P. (2022). English: Mosque of Ibn Tulun [Graphic]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riwaq_of_Mosque_of_Ibn_Tulun,_Cairo,_876-79_%281%29.jpg

Realistic Textures and Materials for Games | Cosmos by Leartes. (n.d.). Cosmos by Leartes Studios. Retrieved May 28, 2025, from https://cosmos.leartesstudios.com/materials

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