History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
History (Islam), Art
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History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
History (Islam), Art
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ABOUT
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ENRICHMENT
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This enrichment guide. is designed to give you a short, but interesting description of Islamic
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1. Overview of Islamic Design & Tiles - Pagesm
1 - 4. u
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2. Make an Islamic Inspired Tile Design F
- Pages 4
5 - 15.
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History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
the same motif, create a flowing pattern.
1
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Historians believe w
Throughout the Middle East,m
various
that Islamic tile artistsw
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objects, floors and buildings are decorated
learned their craft from
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tiles. Islamic tiles used detailed geometric patterns,
Chinese. Since most
m oufrom the Arabic
arabesquest, as o
well as script
artists learned their skill by
r beautiful
Y repeating geometric
language to create
following the instruction of
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someone in their family,
t and shapes.
designs inspired
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tile makers would pass on
pOne of theemost notable features of Islamic
their techniques to each
m nature of the geometric
mis thehrepeating
generation. Different
tiles
a
styles of tile design can be
c design extends from a central point
Sshapes.riEach
associated with different
andnextends outward in a series of symmetric
countries throughout the
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Middle East.
.shapes
and circles. Frequently each of the
w hexagons
shapes overlaps another creating an
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illusion. The result is a tile thatcan stand
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alone or when placed together with other tiles with
History (Islam), Art
From the earliest of times, people have wanted to make
their homes a place of beauty. Ceramic tiles are not only
beautiful, but are a durable material for surfaces. Tiles
have been used in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece,
Rome and throughout the Orient.
One culture that created some of the most stunning tiles
were those by Islamic artists. From the Moors of Africa
and Spain to the luxurious tiles of Iran, Islamic tiles brought together color,
texture and script in a multitude of interlocking motifs that were used individually
and together in massive mosaics.
History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
Ceramic tiles can be decorated using many different techniques. The following
is a brief description of some of the techniques used by ancient tile artists:
ENCAUSTIC OR INLAID: A tile has a second
“layer” of white clay added to the surface prior to
the second firing and glazing. When the tile is
fired, the glaze bonds the two layers together.
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
3
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SGRAFFITO: A bisque tile has a contrasting
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Islamic art and in particular Iscolor of slip ( liquid) clay applied to the
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lamic tiles
are designed based on some basic
surface. After the slip has dried, the artist uses
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t These principles include the
e principles.
a sharp tool to scratch a design onto the
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following:
surface. The color of the clay underneath p
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stands out against the contrasting color of the
m hm1. Repeating geometric elements - circles,
slip.
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triangle, squares, polygons
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2. Designs are two-dimensional - plants and
CARVED AND MODELED TILES: Another r
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other motifs are interwoven and intercontechnique for decorating the surface of tiles
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nected.
was to add a carved or sculpted relief.
wnumerous 3.point.Designs “radiate” or extendmfrom a center
MOSAIC: Individual tiles made
from
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4. The design, though c
confined
colors are cut, carved and
assembled
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could extend indefinitely outward from the
pattern. Plaster is poured on top of the mosaic
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center
point (theoconcept of never ending)
pattern which seeps into the cracks between
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the primary element from
each tile piece and allowed to dry. The result
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which alltother
elements are conis a larger tile that has a detailed pattern. The
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larger plaster tile is then used to decorate the
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ISLAMIC PATTERNS
use something called symmetry to show the
wpatterns.
interlocking repeating
Symmetry means that the pattern can be
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repeated fromw
top to bottom, left to right or even at an angle. If the pattern
is rotated, it is still the same. This allows for the patterns to intersect.
History (Islam), Art
HAND PAINTING: Skilled artists painted the surface of a bisque tile with different colored glazes.
Islamic artists often decorated their tiles with elements from nature such as flowers, trees, leaves,
exotic birds and geometric patterns.
History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
4
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as a symbol for eternity; this
S ric circle
is true in Islamic design too. Since
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the circle has no beginning or end
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it is the basis for the geometric
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designs one sees in Islamic art. It is
mshapes
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also from the circle that other
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are constructed - .the
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triangleoand
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e thesentshapes is also directly
with
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p connected
msquare represents the physical
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the hexagon, the Heavens
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and the triangle, symbolizes
Arabic comes from the Nabatean language. n
harmony.
The Nabateans once inhabited the area.E
which is now Jordan and Syria. Arabic is
The star, whether 4 sided or
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written from right to left. Arabic is made up
8 sided or any number of points
wletter
of 28 letters. The shape of the
symbolizes equal radiation in all
depends on where it is writtenw
in a word.
directions from a central point.
Common floral designs were
the rosette and palmettes. These
designs are often used to decorate
the doorways of mosques and
symbolize the garden of paradise
which is filled with exotic and
beautiful flowers.
History (Islam), Art
Geometric
forms
played an important
part in Islamic tile designs, but so did “arabesques”. Plant or
biomorphic shapes
called arabesques also
are dominant forms in
Islamic tile designs.
These are designs that
have taken a complex
plant or vegetable form
and simplified it to it
most fundamental shape. Spirals in
shapes represented water, repeating circles
symbolized the rhythms of nature while
the spaces within a pattern represented
the harmony found in the world.
History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
7
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History (Islam), Art
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m of theendesign with the gold
*Dab the surface
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dimensional
Spaint. mThe dimensional paint will
h and shimmer to the design
add a slight texture
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yet keep the r
design
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*Highlight
various areas of the design with the
.
dimensional
w paint. Let dry.
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2. PAINT THE TILE
*Paint the background design with your choice
of acrylic paint colors. Contrasting colors such
as red and green stand out against one another.
Let dry.
History (Islam), Art
AFRICA
ISLAMIC TILES
IN FOCUS
IN FOCUS
LEARN * DREAM * AWAKEN* DISCOVER * ENLIGHTEN * INVESTIGATE * QUESTION * EXPLORE
Islamic Tiles
Permission granted to reproduce for individual use only. © 2007 Enrichment4You.com (937-430-7424) www.Enrichment4You.com
9
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History (Islam), Art
Background Tile Design