“This pattern is called ‘The Spider’” our guide said excitedly while gesturing towards a zillige-covered wall. “The Prophet Mohammad was hiding in a cave from his enemies when a spider came and built a web over the entrance. His enemies believed he couldn’t be in the cave because the web was unbroken. This is why it is haram (forbidden) to kill spiders and why this pattern is called named after the spider.”

I’m not sure when I first heard the story of the cave and the spider web. This time the story was told to me on visiting a 14th century medrassa in Fes. I was happy to learn the name for a zillij pattern. And I was intrigued to find another instance of the symbolism of eight within Moroccan design.

The symmetry of eight, according to Keith Critchow, is central to the genius of Moroccan pattern. Even though I read Critchow’s book “Islamic Patterns” I wanted more information on the role of symmetries of eight in Moroccan design, which is why I researched and wrote about the origins and meanings of the eight-point star.

The story of the spider web covering the cave isn’t in the Koran. That story is included in a hadith, stories covering the life events of the Prophet. The Koran includes 114 chapters (surah) including ones named after bees, ants, and spiders. In the Spider, it is written:

“The likeness for those who take to themselves guardians instead of God is the likeness of the Spider who buildeth her a house: But verily, frailest of all houses surely is the house of the spider.” (source)

In the hadith story, it is the fraility of the spider’s house that makes the enemies of the Prophet certain he couldn’t have entered the cave without breaking the web.

So what is the symbolism of the spider pattern? Strength? Fragility? Protection?

Stories of the mystical spider webs occur in multiple cultures. Just as the symbolism behind the eight point star is not uniquely Moroccan, I think the symbolism of the spider pattern is something more primal. The number eight helps us make sense of our world, like a compass with the eight familiar directions: north, north east, east, south east, south, south west, west, north west.

(You’re right, Gene. I posted the wrong photo but added the correct image to the beginning of the post. Others – the old photo is below.)

Since returning from Morocco to the solid walls of the United States, I’ve been craving pattern. My solid-color walls are staring at me like a blinking cursor on the computer screen. Judging by the pages of the Fall 2008 Pier One catalog, I’m not alone. Could it be that wall paper is making a comeback?

If I can gather enough time and ambition, I may try using one of the architectural designs offered by Modello Designs. New Moroccan designs will be coming forward, no doubt, inspired by their visit to Marrakesh Maryam‘s Peacock Pavillions. If only I lived in San Diego I could go to Modello’s Elegant Reflections class.

Perhaps I can make my own stencil inspired by a wall in Fes. I’m thinking metalic embossing on a dark, distressed wall. But color is soothing too.

Pattern soothing?

The latest role in the get-paid portion of my life is that of an information architect. I’m always looking for patterns; conceptual and behavioral. Tesselating walls let my mind connect-the-dots in unexpected ways. Clean patterns. Clear patterns. Not vegetal, but straight-lined arabesques. For me, they are the ultimate meditation on order and perception.

An easier approach would be to buy some lovely rustic modern Berber carpet, which carry all the geometry and slight surprise that comes with Moroccan design. Don’t believe me? Axis Gallery has an online exhibition of Berber carpets Atlas Warp: Talismanic Rugs of Moroccan Nomads. The Berber Arts website also has a great article on Berber weaving. Judge for yourself. They are not the fine silk creatures of Persia, but they are lovely expressions of order, pattern, and simplicity.

Thankfully, layering patterns seems to be the ultimate chic for the daring. So, perhaps I can have my patterned walls and wall art too. For now, my blinking-cursor-walls await me…

Once you see a Moroccan zillij masterpiece, you can spot the style anywhere. It is an art form that has been practiced for a thousand years. It is a unique specialization of Morocco and continues to thrive in Moroccan society within a contemporary creative framework.

This website is full of research related to understanding zillij, such as my research on the meaning of the eight-point star. On this page, you will find the following:

• Meaning
• Application
• History
• Resources for Further Study

Meaning

Zillij is an Islamic art that is based on learning, discipline, and faith. The geometric patterns reflect the Islamic belief that life is ordered by cosmic intelligence, even if people cannot always understand it. The abstract patterns reflect the Islamic desire to understand God’s creation through study rather than copy creation through representational art, which is shunned as a pathway to idolatry. Zillij patterns are constructed from archetypal shapes that have been refined by centuries of scientific study, artistic tradition, and religious belief. “Truthfulness—sidq—is in everything I make” said a modern zillij artisan in a recent interview.

Fundamentally, the purpose of zillij is decoration used to inspire the viewer into meditative reflection of the underlying laws governing the universe. Since Islamic tradition frowns on representational art, Muslims celebrate beauty through decorative arts, such as arabesques, textiles, architecture, tile work, and pottery design. The Prophet Mohammad is quoted as saying “God is beautiful and loves beauty.” The Prophet’s love of learning, appreciation of beauty, and directive to avoid representational art provided an ideal set of constraints for the creation and support of zillij art work. It is hard to imagine this art form arising from any other tradition.

Application

In Morocco zillij is used to decorate water fountains, home interiors, add architectural detail, and cover tombs. It is rarely, if unsuccessfully, liberally applied to the exterior of buildings. According to Zillij: The Art of Moroccan Ceramics, zillij is “the subtle application of man’s feelings through form and color, exactly as the house is designed to reflect his requirements. Zillij is an expression of man’s interior world.”

Zillij artisans today continue to be supported by commissions. Restoration work and new building projects keep them occupied as do commissions for zillij installations in private homes. If a family can at all afford it, they will likely add a zillij fountain, wall, or walkway to their residence.

History

The practice of zillij dates back to the eleventh century. The practice was likely inspired by Roman mosaics, remnants of which can be seen in the ruins at Volubilis. It is certainly influenced by Islamic belief and tradition, which warns against representational art for fear of idol worship. Whereas representational art may, according to the Islamic perspective, disfigure reality in the observers’ mind and lead to misplaced study and misguided worship, zillij, through a disciplined approach to space, line, and color, encourages the observer to reflect on the perfection of God’s creation.

Moroccan mosaics are unique in the Muslim world. The lines in Moroccan geometry are straight as opposed to the curved lines used in Middle Eastern art traditions. This straight line is thought to be an influence of pre-Islamic architecture, constructed by the Berber (Amazigh) populations before Islamic culture arrived in North Africa. The Moroccan line can be seen in both the hard edges of zillij tiles and the rectangular, not round, minaret of mosques.

Resources for Further Study

I am facinated by zillij and have gathered a few resources that have assisted me in learning more about this incredible artform. I will continue to update this post with additional information and resources as I find them. If you have other zillij resources to share, please leave a comment so I can share the information.

Websites

• Zelige Applet
  An applet that let’s you construct your own zelige pattern.
• Zillij in Fez
  Article about the art and history of zillij in Fes.
• Origin and Meanings of the Eight-Point Star
• Advanced geometry of Islamic art

Books

• Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach
  This book contains some heavy explanations about the origins and meaning of Islamic designs. I refer to it often for its many useful and accurate pattern templates.
• Zillij: The Art of Morroccan Ceramics
  A book about how Morocco uses Islamic patterns in pottery and tile and other artisan crafts. Contains lots of color pictures. This is the only in-print English-language book I know of dedicated soley to Moroccan zillij. Includes a very useful glossary of zillij terms, including tile shapes and pattern names.
• Arabic Geometrical Pattern and Design
  This book contains 190 linear plates of geometrical Islamic patterns, including Middle-Eastern styles. The collection of plates was originally published in French in 1879. It was republished in 1973. There isn’t any text in the book except for brief a publishers note.

Lesson Plans

• Moroccan Zillij: What Zillij Teachers About Islam
  A lesson plan for 7 to 12 graders and some other Morocco-related curriculum projects.
• Islamic Art and Geometric Design Downloadable PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Designed to assist teachers with developing interdisciplinary lesson plans.

I got an e-mail from an artist who is constructing Islamic patterns and was wondering about the use of a grid. Since there are only three regular tessellations; square, hexagon, and triangle, I think each of those grid types would be useful as a base for constructing complex patterns. I found some free downloadable grid papers online. Scroll down the page and you’ll find triangles, hexagons, and even octagons, all which should be very useful for learning how to construct zillij patterns. Some writers state zillij designs are constructed through circles, but I am confident there are more straight forward grids underlying them. Let me know how it works out for you if you try them.

I haven’t read the following book but hear it is helpful in constructing patterns; Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art by Issam El-Said and Ayse Parman published in 1976. This expensive book is supposed to contain comprehensive instructions on how to use underlying grids to make complex designs.

As for understanding the designs, I just discovered a book that may be indirectly helpful; Language of Ornament by James Trilling, former curator at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, published in 2001. I haven’t read it yet and don’t plan on doing so any time soon because I have blown my budget on books this month. Plus, it seems to focus more on Asian art, as most museums in DC tend to. So, if you read it, let me know what you think and if it contains any useful information on Moroccan design. I suggest it because Moroccan design is an ornamental language.

I will be on vacation for the rest of the month. I am going to Arizona with the intention of seeing a vibrant night sky in the desert. I wanted to go to Kitt Peak National Observatory. However, they booked their night tours months ago. So, I will be in Tuscon with my lovely hubby anyway. I plan on driving off into the desert and look at the sky with my naked eye. We will listen to Flamenco guitar and look at big skies. I very much enjoy big skies. Ahh…back to the true origins of design. I hope the moon doesn’t get in the way of the darkness.

I’ve recreated a few Moroccan tiling patterns. These designs are great for web and graphic designers or for anyone to use as desktop wallpaper. I kept the designs black and white. You can use an image-editing software to customizing the color scheme to suite your taste. They are free for download.

Instructions

To save an image to your computer, right click on the image and select “save background image” from the menu that pops-up. You don’t have to give me credit, but I’d appreciate a link back if you can swing it.

Feedback?

I hope to update this section with more patterns. If there is a particular pattern or color scheme you’d like to see, leave a comment at the end of the page. Your feedback will inspire me.

Octagon Four Hands Pattern

Khatam

Unknown?
I’m not sure of the name of the next pattern. It is created using a triangle grid. I call it water. If you know the proper name, please leave me a comment (see bottom of this page for comment form) so I can update. Thanks!

The shape that most clearly represents Morocco in my mind’s eye is the eight-point star. It is a simple shape made by overlapping two squares. The hard-edged lines make it indicative of Moroccan patterns, which are known for their use of straight lines in contrast to the curvilinear arabesque of the Middle East. It has a feel that is both modern and ancient. What is the meaning behind this particular shape and what does it represent? (Note: this article was revised on March 24, 2008)

Universal Symbolism

In truth, the eight-point star is not unique to Morocco. It appears in cultures around the globe. It can be found on national flags and in religious iconography. It carries various meaning associated with each culture that utilizes it. Eight is an important number in terms of realizing balance, and although it isn’t always illustrated by a star, it appears in the eight-paths in the way of Buddah and eight immortals in Chinesse tradition. Its universal symbolism is one of balance, harmony, and cosmic order. Its pattern is associated early astronomy, religion, and mysticism. It is symbolic of both stars and humanity’s earliest attempts to understand and communicate the order and unity inherent in Creation, nature’s rule.

Astrological Origins

The roots of the eight-point star symbol are in early astronomy. The eight lines are symbolic of the four corners of space (north, south, east, and west) and time (two solstices and two equinoxes). ¹

Above diagram taken from Resonateview.org

Use in Islam

By the middle-ages, the eight-point star is widely used as a symbol in Islamic art. It is called khatim or khatim sulayman, seal of the prophets, as in signet ring.^{see #1} The phrase “seal of the prophets” is also used in the Koran and has particular ideological meaning for Muslims. Moroccan zillij artisans also refer to the eight-point star as sibniyyah, sabniyyah, which is a derivative of the number seven sab’ah.

The design of the Muslim khatam was likely inspired by Jewish version, which is the Seal of Solomon. The seal of Solomon is a six point star formed by overlapping two triangles. According to the brilliant book, Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe” Muslim legend recounts Solomon using the star to capture djinns, genies, the immaterial counterparts to humans.³

Ancient use of Eight-point Star Symbol

The eight-point star was used as a symbol long before the rise of Islam.

An Italian nobleman named Pietro della Valle discovered the use of an eight-point star as a seal in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur (~2000BC), Tell al Muqayyar, in the mid-seventeenth century. He wrote “I found on the ground some pieces of black Marble…which seem to be a kind of Seal like what the Orientals use at this day: for their Seals are only letters or written words…Amongst the other letters I discovered in a short time was…a star of eight points…” ²

Abraham, the shared prophet of the monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) lived in the Sumerian city of Ur. Excavations from Ur reveal early use of the eight point star, often in the form of an eight petal rosette used in jewelry or metalwork decoratation. ^{see #2}

The Sumerians used an arrangement of lines as a symbol for both star and God. The linear eight-point star represented the goddess Inanna, Sumerian queen of the heavens and Ishtar (Astarte), the Babylonian goddess known as “The Lightbringer.” An eight-point star enclosed within a circle was the symbol for the sun god. The “Babylonian star-cult is the core and the archetype of subsequent astrology.” ³

For centuries, the Greeks believed that the morning and evening star we different entities. The Greeks recognized Venus as the morning and evening star is 400 BC, 1,500 years after Sumerians.⁴

Religous Integration of Symbol

How does the pagan symbol for God/star transform itself into an Islamic symbol? What could the connection be between the Islamic use of the eight-point star and its uses as a symbol in Sumerian culture?

I mention the Sumerian history to show the earliest origins of the eight-point star as a reflection of astronomical observations from one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Sumer is located in an era of the world where several civilizations, such as Babylonian, Arkadian (Semetic), Elam (proto Indo-Iranian), Egyptian, and Greek expanded and retracted. It doesn’t require much imagination to imagine how these symbol migrated to other cultures and eventually made its way into Islam. Why the eight point symbol endured instead of a six point star or some other shape is the real story, I suppose.

Additionally, all the monotheistic religions accommodate astrology in some way through fact that the stars are part of the Creation. Islam inherited pagan symbols along the same lines as other monotheistic religions, which share the same history and origins. ^{see #3} Muslims accommodated ancient symbols inasmuch as they supported the Islamic view of Creation.

Moreover, astronomy plays an important role in Islam in both its expansion, obligations (pilgrimage), and daily act of worship (five times of daily prayer done directed towards Mecca). Astrology had an impact on Muslim scholars as well. As inheritors of ancient texts and avid supporters of scholarly study, Islamic scholars poured over Greek learning, which included meanings attached to the movement and position of the stars. Pythagoras, who is credited as being the first person to call himself a philosopher (lover of wisdom), is of particular important to Muslim scholars. Pythagoras developed a system of belief that centered around mathematics. Pythagoras identified the planets as being spheres rotating around a central fire. Pythagoras also influenced Plato and Aristotle and the philosophies that followed.

The following picture, taken from www.discoverislamicart.org is of an astrolobe in the Batha Museum in Fez. “This astrolabe includes all of the component parts of the planispheric astrolabes that were indispensable to ancient astronomers for determining prayer times and the height of the stars, and for establishing horoscopes. It is one of the first portable astrolabes in the West.”

Use in Ornamentaion and Pattern Building

Further symbolism of the eight-point star can be discovered by examining its role in Islamic ornamentation and pattern building. The khatam is at the heart of many Islamic ornamental patterns.

Ornamentation is particularly important in Islam. Islam discourages representational art in an effort to avoid the temptation of idol worship that arises with created mimics of Creation. Therefore, Islamic art grew from the study of geometry and the practice of ornamental decoration, as well as the sciences, literature, and development of architecture. The idea in Islamic faith is to seek to understand Creation, not to worship it, but to honor the Creator through the application of understanding. “Praise God the creator who has bestowed upon Man the power to discover the significance of numbers” the Prophet Mohammad is quoted as saying. ^{see #1}

Furthermore, the mental disciplined, study, and restraint required for constructing complex, precise, geometric patterns support the Islamic belief that humans are the greatest of God’s creation.

The following photo shows detail of a zillij pattern used to decorate a wall in the media of Fes. The pattern contains multiple uses of the eight-point star, both as a center point and an encompassing shape of the pattern.

More complex patterns can be developed using the khatam or its variant as a centerpiece. The following diagram shows how a pattern that employs a symmetry of eight is built around a central khatam using a grid of four circles around a central circle.

The following picture shows a fountain in Fes that is decorated with various patterns based around a central khatam that radiates outwards into various star formations.

Mytical Signifigance

The Sufi mystic Ibn al-Arabi drew a diagram similar to the one used to develop a pattern around a khatam (see above). However, Al-Arabi’s diagram’s diagram is concerned with spirituality, not ornamentation. He drew it as part of his explanation that “all phenomena are nothing but manifestations of Being, which is one with God.” ⁶ Conincidentally, Al-Arabi was born in Spain at around the same time the practice of zillij, mosaic design, was starting to flourish. As Sufism had particular appeal to North Africa, his spirtual use of the pattern may explain the prolific use of the eight-point star and and symetries of eight in Moroccan Islamic patterns.

The number eight was important among Sufi mystics. “The octagon, with a ninth point in the center, is also central to the mystical symbology of Sufism. It is the seal or design which Ernest Scott says ‘reaches for the innermost secrets of man’. Meaning wholeness, power and perfection, this primary geometrical symbol is one which Sufis associate with Shambhala …” ⁷

On his website of natural patterns, Ian Alexander refers to the eight-point star as both the Sufi star and the Moroccan star. He offers the following explanation, as quoted from Friday mosque in Iran “Form is symbolised by the square. Expansion is symbolised by the square with triangles pointing outwards (an 8-pointed star). Contraction is symbolised by the square with triangles pointing inwards (a 4-pointed star). The two star-shapes together symbolise the cycle of creation, ‘the breath of the compassionate.’”

Breath of the Compassionate

The following pattern is created by repeating the khatam. The cross-like four-point star mentioned above appears in the negative space. This pattern is called the Breath of the Compassionate. Of the ninety-nine knowable names of God in Islamic tradition, the Compassionate is the highest pronounceable name. “Through the polar cycle of the divine breath the universe is periodically created, maintained, dissolved, and renewed…More than just an ornamental motif, the Breath of the Compassionate is a cosmological model symbolizing the interplay of polarities that manifest form.” ^{See #4} Given the Muslim belief in both humans and jinns and the squares association with material worlds, it is no wonder that the Breath of the Compassionate and the Seal of the Prophet in the Muslim context would also represent a balancing act between the two.

For more information on Islamic art in the Sufi tradition, I highly recommend reading Sufi: Expressions of the Mystic Quest (Art and Imagination) by Laleh Bakhtiar. The book provides several insights into spirituality and Islamic artisanal traditions that I hope to write about in the future. Also, I wrote an article on another blog about Sufism that may be of interest.

Keith Critchlow has extensively studied Islamic patterns and states the four-fold archetype “has a deep and profound relationship to the Moroccan genius, particularly as it relates to the crossroads of Africa and the migration of symbols from the south. Critchlow describes the Moroccan patterns language similar to late King Hassan II’s often quoted description of Morocco: “…drawn from the depths of Africa but transmuted in the light of Islam, memorized and learnt by heart and transmitted from generation to generation for the love of beauty.” ^{see #1}

Conclusion

The eight-point star as a symbol marks early human understanding of the intellegent order that underlies our universe. Today, it carries religous and mystical associations. Known as the khatam in Islamic cultures, it and its variants are found at the center of stunning zillij masterpieces throughout Morocco. Amidst the color and compostion, the khatam stands as a symbol of early astronomy, interconnectedness, and faith in the ultimate harmony of Creation. In this way, the khatam represents the highest virtues in Moroccan culture: learning, community, faith, and love of beauty.

Sources:

1. Zillij: The Art of Moroccan Ceramics
2. Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur
3. Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe
4. Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach
5. Astrology: Between Religion and the Empirical
6. symbols.com
7. The World of Islam: Faith, People, Culture
8. Shambala as quoted on the Web at www.songsouponsea.com/Promenade/Monte.html

Also of interest, check out Thinking squared.

Do you know more about the eight-pointed star? Please leave a comment.