Multifoil arch


A multifoil arch is an architectural element of an arch containing multiple foils; symmetrical leaf shapes, defined by overlapping circles.
The French term foil means "leaf." A specific number of foils is indicated by a prefix: trefoil, quatrefoil, cinquefoil, sexfoil, octofoil, or multifoil and polyfoil for typically more than eight.
The multifoil arch design was influenced by Islamic art and architecture. Examples are found in the maqsuras and arcades of the Moorish Umayyad Caliphate's mosques, which are in present-day Spain. It is particularly prevalent in the Moorish architecture of al-Andalus.