Zellij

Zellij decor of a fountain on Place El Hedine in Meknes , Morocco

A tiled wall on the side of the Emarat Badgir building, part of the Golestan Palace , Tehran , Iran . This 19th century Persian mosaic art is also called Qashani or Kashi.

Zellij ( Arabic الزليج, DMG az-Zallīǧ ) is an enamelled tile art in terracotta , which is put together from individual elements ( Girih tiles ) in plaster to form a mosaic .

It is one of the main characteristics of Moroccan architecture , but can also be found in other Maghreb and other countries of the Islamic culture. Examples of particularly filigree Zellij tile patterns can be found in the Moroccan madrasa Bū ʿInānīya of Fès , from the time of the Merinid dynasty (before 1250–1465). The geometric ceramic mosaics are mainly used as ornaments for walls, floors, bathrooms or pieces of furniture.

See also

• Azulejo
• Tadelakt

Web links

Commons : Zellij  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Patterns in Islamic Art