Girih tile

Girih tiles are a special set of five tiles used to create beautiful geometric patterns in Islamic architecture. These tiles were an important part of decorating buildings, helping to make intricate and stunning designs that have fascinated people for centuries. The word "girih" refers to the strapwork style used in these patterns.

People have been using girih tiles since around the year 1200. One of the most famous examples of their use is in the Darb-i Imam shrine in Isfahan, Iran, which was built in 1453. This shrine shows how these tiles can be arranged to create amazing and lasting artwork on buildings.

These tiles are special because they allow artists to create repeating patterns that cover large areas without gaps or overlaps. By using just a few simple shapes, they can build incredibly detailed and symmetrical designs that are still admired today. Girih tiles are a wonderful example of how math and art come together in architecture.

Five tiles

The girih tiles are made of five special shapes, each with its own Persian name. All the sides of these tiles are the same length, and their angles are multiples of 36°. Many of these tiles have a special kind of symmetry. This means they look the same when you flip or turn them. For example, the decagon tile looks the same after being turned by 36°, and the pentagon tile looks the same after being turned by 72°.

The emergence of girih tiles

By the 11th century, people in the Islamic world found a new way to make beautiful "tile mosaic" art. They used special tiles called girih tiles. These tiles helped them create amazing geometric patterns on buildings. The patterns decorated many important places.

Girih

Main article: Girih

Girih are special lines called strapwork that decorate tiles in pretty patterns. The word "girih" comes from the Persian language and means "knot." Usually, you can only see the girih lines and small flower designs, not the edges of the tiles. These lines cross the tile edges at a special angle and make interesting shapes that look very nice.

Mathematics of girih tilings

In 2007, scientists Peter J. Lu and Paul J. Steinhardt found that girih tilings have special patterns. These patterns are similar to modern designs called Penrose tilings, but they were made 500 years earlier.

These beautiful patterns were made using simple tools like straightedges and compasses. Artisans used special drawings, like the very old Topkapi Scroll found in Istanbul, as guides. Even though these designs look very complicated, the workers didn’t need to know advanced math to make them. They just followed the shapes of the girih tiles to build large, repeating patterns on walls and buildings.

Examples

Girih tiles were used to make beautiful patterns on buildings. One famous example is the ceiling of the Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz. It has complex stars. Another example is a window in the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. This window has six-point stars with flowers around them.

Girih patterns often showed how important a building or its owner was. For example, the window in the Pavilion of the Dowlatabad Garden in Yazd has many layers of patterns. This made it very special and impressive.