Zellij

Zellij (Arabic: زليج, romanized: zillīj), also spelled zillij or zellige, is a beautiful style of mosaic tilework made from small, hand-chiseled tile pieces. These pieces, often in different colors, fit together to create interesting patterns based on shapes that repeat and fit perfectly, called tessellations. One of the most famous types of patterns in zellij is the use of Islamic geometric motifs, like stars made from different polygons.

This art form is an important part of Islamic art and can be seen in the buildings of many places, especially in the western part of the Islamic world. You can find zellij in the architecture of Morocco, the architecture of Algeria, old sites in Tunisia, and historic buildings in al-Andalus (which is part of the Iberian Peninsula). Starting in the 14th century, zellij became a common decoration on walls, around fountains, on top of minarets, and even for covering floors.

After the 15th century, zellij was not as popular in most places except in Morocco, where people still make it today. You can see modern examples of zellij in buildings like the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which uses new colors but keeps the old designs. The patterns from zellij also influenced Spanish tiles made during the Renaissance and can still be seen in some modern tiles today.

Name

The word zillīj comes from an Arabic verb meaning "to slide," which describes the smooth, shiny surface of these tiles. A similar style of tile work in Portugal and Spain is called azulejo, and in Spain, the mosaic tile technique used in famous places like the Alhambra is known as alicatado.

History

The technique of mosaic tilework, known as zellij, was likely inspired by Byzantine mosaics and adapted by Muslim craftsmen for faience tiles. Fragments of zellij from al-Mansuriyya in Tunisia suggest that this style developed in the western Islamic world between the 10th and 13th centuries. By the 11th century, zellij had become quite sophisticated, as seen in the elaborate pavements of the Hammadid capital, Qal'at Bani Hammad in Algeria.

During the Almohad period, zellij appeared on minarets in Marrakesh, featuring simple geometric designs influenced by Sanhaja Berber culture. The complexity of zellij increased during the 14th and 15th centuries under the Marinid, Zayyanid, and Nasrid dynasties in Morocco, Algeria, and al-Andalus. Geometric motifs became more intricate, and new colors like yellow, blue, and dark brown were introduced. Famous examples include the Alhambra palaces and mosques in Tlemcen.

In the 16th century, under Ottoman rule, traditional zellij in Algeria was largely replaced by imported European tiles. However, in Morocco, zellij continued to be used and even became more widespread. The Saadi dynasty increased the complexity of geometric patterns, and the 'Alawi dynasty used zellij extensively in buildings like the imperial citadel in Meknes. Today, zellij remains an important part of Moroccan culture, especially in Fez, where workshops continue to produce these beautiful mosaic tiles.

Fabrication

Zellij tiles are made by first creating glazed squares, about 10 cm per side, and then cutting them by hand into different shapes. These shapes are carefully chosen to fit together like pieces of a puzzle, forming beautiful patterns. In the city of Tétouan, the tiles are cut into shapes before being baked, which makes them last longer but less colorful.

After baking and cutting, the tiles are placed face down and stuck together with plaster or whitewash. Once dry, these tiles form larger panels that are then attached to walls using mortar or grout. In some designs, like those in Nasrid tilework, extra strength is added by mixing threads of grass and cane into the plaster.

Forms and patterns

See also: Islamic geometric patterns

Traditional zellij decoration often used geometric patterns, which were very popular and complex. Sometimes, plants were also shown, but less often. These geometric patterns were made using a method called tessellation. This means covering a surface with shapes that fit together perfectly without any gaps or overlaps. These patterns could go on forever.

In Islamic art, the most common geometric shapes are regular polygons. This style of art avoided pictures of living things, which followed rules in Islam. Mosaic tilework like zellij was common in many parts of the Islamic world, such as Iran, Anatolia, and the Indian subcontinent. In western areas, colors like yellow, green, black, and light brown were popular, often placed on a white background.

In western Islamic art, especially under the Nasrid and Marinid dynasties, many different geometric patterns were made for buildings. One common pattern used six-pointed and twelve-pointed stars, with eight-pointed stars in between. Artists also used patterns with fourfold symmetry, making the designs bigger and more complex by adding sixteen-pointed stars and other elements. These changes made the patterns more interesting to look at.

Clays

In Morocco, the city of Fez is an important place for making zellij tiles. This is partly because of the special grey clay found there, which comes from the Miocene period. This clay is made mostly of a mineral called kaolinite.

Other cities like Meknes, Safi, and Salé also use clay for making ceramics. Their clay contains many minerals, including calcite, quartz, and muscovite. Different cities have slightly different mixes of these minerals, making each place’s clay unique.

Zellij craftsmen

Making zellij is considered an art form that is passed down from one generation to the next by master craftsmen called ma'alems. It takes many years of training to learn this skill, and traditionally, young people would start learning when they were very young. Today, young people can learn zellij making at special schools for artisans in Morocco. However, fewer young people are choosing to learn this beautiful craft.