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The crenellated parapet on a bastion of Kyrenia Castle, Cyprus. A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, [1] terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian parapetto (parare 'to cover/defend' and petto 'chest/breast').
Elements of a rampart in a stone castle or town wall from the 11th to 15th centuries included: Parapet: a low wall on top of the rampart to shelter the defenders. Crenellation: rectangular gaps or indentations at intervals in the parapet, the gaps being called embrasures or crenels, and the intervening high parts being called merlons.
A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles from within the defences. [1]
A merlon is the solid, upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications. [1] Merlons are sometimes pierced by narrow, vertical embrasures, or tooth-like slits designed for observation and fire. The space between two merlons is called a crenel, and a succession of merlons and crenels is a ...
A parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which rectangular gaps or indentations occur at intervals to allow for the discharge of arrows or other missiles. Bays The internal compartments of a building, each divided from the other by subtle means such as the boundaries implied by divisions marked in the side ...
A moat was a common addition to medieval fortifications, and the principal purpose was to simply increase the effective height of the walls and to prevent digging under the walls. In many instances, natural water paths were used as moats, and often extended through ditches to surround as much of the fortification as possible.
the front façade of the building "rises to form a parapet (upper wall) which hides most or nearly all of the roof" the roof "is almost always a front gable, though gambrel and bowed roofs are occasionally found" "a better grade of materials is often used on the façade than on the sides or rear of the building" and
In architecture, a machicolation (French: mâchicoulis) is an opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement through which defenders could target attackers who had reached the base of the defensive wall. A smaller related structure that only protects key points of a fortification are referred to as Bretèche.