Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the
foundation of Islam to the present day. What today is known as Islamic architecture owes its origin to similar structures already existing in
Roman,
Byzantine and
Persian lands which the Muslims conquered in the 7th and 8th centuries. Further east, it was also influenced by
Chinese and
Indian architecture as Islam spread to
Southeast Asia. The principal Islamic architectural types are: the
Mosque, the
Tomb, the
Palace and the
Fort. From these four types, the vocabulary of Islamic architecture is derived and used for other buildings such as
public baths,
fountains and domestic architecture.