allahallah In the Middle East and Iran, the use of colored tile has a long history. The art was revived by the Abbasids in the ninth century at Samarra in Iraq after long periods of neglect. The use of colored tile spread throughout the Muslim world, and during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Turkey and Iran, the medium's popularity reached its height. Used as a cover over brick, tile could envelop entire buildings, including domes and minarets.


The Dome of Masjid-i Shah in Isfahan, Iran, 1612-1637

Scanned from Gardneršs Art Through the Ages, Tenth Edition


allahallahThis dome is an example of one of the most brilliant uses of colored tile. The design of the spiraling tendrils envelops the dome without overpowering it, and adjusts beautifully to its shape. In contrast to the more general Islamic tendency to disguise the structure, here the tile enhances the dome's form without obscuring it. This is witnessed also on the minarets.


The prayer hall of Masjid-i Shah in Isfahan, Iran, 1612-1637

Scanned from Gardneršs Art Through the Ages, Tenth Edition


allahallahThe architectural forms resemble tentlike canopies, and the starlike spangling of the floral motifs on their surfaces evoke the constellations of a night sky. The glazed tilework is so refined that it obscures the woven textiles that adorned the tents of the Safavid monarchs of Persia. Click here to see more forms of Islamic decoration.