A practitioner's guide to Islamic geometric art.
25 long-form pieces on the traditions, techniques, regions, and mathematics behind the work. Written from the studio between cuts.
History, religion, canon
Traditions
Where the geometric tradition comes from, why it took the form it did, and what the canon actually contains.
7 posts →
Materials and crafts
Techniques
Zellij, girih, kashi, woodwork, plasterwork — the six material traditions that gave the patterns their physical form.
5 posts →
Country by country
Regions
Eight regional Islamic art traditions, from Maghreb zellij to Mughal pietra dura, by the courts and cities that produced them.
3 posts →
The math + the buildings
Mathematics & monuments
The mathematics behind the patterns, the monuments that anchor the canon, and the scholars who decoded the system.
5 posts →
Buying, displaying, commissioning
Collecting
Practical guidance for living with Islamic geometric art — buying, displaying, gifting, commissioning.
5 posts →
The full index.
Traditions
- Islamic geometric art: a complete guidePillar11 min read
- A short history of Islamic geometric art10 min read
- Arabesque vs Islamic geometric art: what's the difference?7 min read
- How Euclid traveled to Islam: the House of Wisdom and Islamic mathematics8 min read
- The Islamic decorative canon: calligraphy, geometry, and arabesque7 min read
- The Sunni Revival: when the Islamic decorative canon was born7 min read
- Why there are no figures in Islamic art: aniconism explained8 min read
Mathematics & monuments
- Owen Jones, Bourgoin, and the Western rediscovery of Islamic art8 min read
- The Alhambra: a guide to its geometric patterns8 min read
- The khatem: the 8-pointed star at the heart of Moroccan tile work7 min read
- The math behind Islamic geometric patterns9 min read
- The Topkapı Scroll: the pattern book that shaped Islamic art6 min read
Collecting
- Commissioning Islamic art: a guide for mosques, schools, and institutions8 min read
- How to choose Islamic art for your home8 min read
- Islamic art gift guide: weddings, Eid, Ramadan, and new homes8 min read
- Layered paper art: a contemporary medium for Islamic geometric design8 min read
- Where to find authentic Islamic geometric art in Canada7 min read