In the above video, Paloma Picasso discusses her for zellige-inspired jewelry collection made for for Tiffany & Co. I’ve noticed lots of designers playing with Moroccan mosaic patterns as part of their jewelry collections.

The above piece is designed by Lee Angel (www.leeangel.com and reminds me of some of my favorite tile work. I bought the one in the picture on sale at bluefly.com. If this discount were deeper, I’d buy the red and white one too. I hope I love it when I meet it in person.

“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.)

Gene Turangan was kind enough to send me some photos of his workshop in Indonesia. He makes Moroccan-style mosaic tables and vanities using his own technique.

His team uses monochromatic, unglazed floor tiles which cut into furmah, the traditional shapes. He uses fiber cement for outdoor tables or medium density fiber for indoor tables as the base.

This technique results in quicker production and a smoother, lighter table top as no cement or iron are required.

The fact his work doesn’t require iron edging means he can use other materials, such as the following designs which are trimmed with wood.

His inspiration? One book: “Arabesques” by Jean-Mark Castera; isbn 2-86770-124-4. Gene notes while Castera writes “Moroccan zillij craftsman have nothing to fear about sharing their technique.The materials,tools and tiles made elsewhere are impossible to cut.” He “was lucky to have created zillij mosaics 3 years before reading this book. My techniques are simple and don’t require any particular expertise. Geometric patterns are mathematics, either in Africa or anyplace in the world. The result should be the same.”

Unfortunately, his products are not yet available for sale online. Perhaps something we can look forward to in the future? His workshop is in Indonesia and he sells locally or through trade shows. For now, perhaps his work will inspire you to start a project all your own.

You can contact Gene via email at turangan at gmail.com.

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.

And God fashioned man out of clay, like pottery…

I had a chance to observe artisans creating pottery and mosaics at a ceramics factory in Fes. You can see products and request estimates through the factory’s website at www.artnaji.net. The site also has information on the production process. If you click on the photo above, you can view my flickr photostream, which has more photos of the factory.