Islamic geometric patterns facts for kids

A detailed look at a minaret in the Bibi Khanum Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Notice the cool geometric patterns with stars!

A beautiful doorway in Ben Youssef Madrasa, Marrakesh. It has carved patterns, arabesques, and zellij tiles.

Islamic geometric patterns are a super important part of Islamic art. Artists often chose not to show people or animals. Instead, they created amazing designs using shapes.

These designs are usually made from repeating squares and circles. They can overlap and weave together. This creates really detailed and complex patterns. Sometimes, these patterns cover everything. Other times, they frame flowers or beautiful writing called Islamic calligraphy. Over time, these patterns became more complex. They started with simple stars in the 800s. By the 1500s, they included stars with 14 or 16 points!

You can find these geometric patterns everywhere in Islamic art and buildings. They appear on kilim carpets, Persian girih tiles, and Moroccan zellij tiles. You can also see them in decorative ceilings called muqarnas, carved stone screens called jali, and on ceramics, leather, stained glass, wood, and metal.

People in the West are also becoming more interested in these patterns. Artists like M. C. Escher loved them in the 1900s. Even mathematicians and physicists like Peter J. Lu and Paul Steinhardt study them today.

Discovering Islamic Patterns

Types of Islamic Decoration

Islamic geometric patterns didn't just appear out of nowhere! They grew from simpler designs. These older designs came from places like Greece, Rome, and the Sasanian Empire.

Geometric patterns are one of three main types of Islamic ornament. The others are arabesques, which use curvy plant shapes. And then there's Islamic calligraphy, which is beautiful writing. Often, artists used all three types of decoration together. Starting in the 800s, complex geometric patterns became very popular in Islamic art.

Artists in Islamic cultures often chose not to draw pictures of people or animals. This was a way to focus on other forms of beauty. It led artists to explore art based on shapes and math.

Why These Patterns?

Some experts, like Keith Critchlow, believe these patterns are more than just pretty designs. They think the patterns help people understand deeper truths. In Islamic culture, many believe these patterns connect to a spiritual world. They can help calm the mind and soul.

David Wade, another writer, says that much of Islamic art is about "transformation." He means that art can change how we see things. For example, patterns can make mosques feel light and airy. Decorated pages of a Quran can feel like windows to something endless.

However, Doris Behrens-Abouseif has a different idea. She says that in Arabic culture, beauty was often enjoyed just for itself. It didn't always need a religious or moral reason.

Different styles of Islamic geometric decoration
Tiles in the Jame Mosque of Yazd, Persia. They show geometric and plant-like patterns.
The Bou Inania Madrasa in Fes, Morocco. It has geometric patterns made from zellij tiles.
Many decorative styles in Morocco. You can see wooden panels, zellij tiles, and carved stucco.
An arch in the Alhambra palace. It features amazing Muqarnas (stalactite-like carvings).
An Ayyubid jar from Syria (1100s-1200s). It has a cool pattern of overlapping circles.
An archway in the Ottoman Green Mosque in Bursa, Turkey (1424). It shows girih 10-point stars and pentagons.

How Patterns Are Made

The Shah Nematollah Vali Shrine in Mahan, Iran, built in 1431. Its blue dome has girih tiles with stars of different points, like 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12. 11-point stars are quite rare!

Many Islamic designs start with squares and circles. Artists repeat, overlap, and weave these shapes together. This creates very detailed and complex patterns. A common design is the 8-pointed star. You often see it in Islamic tilework. It's made from two squares, with one turned 45 degrees. Other basic shapes include polygons like pentagons and octagons.

Artists combine these shapes in many ways. They use symmetrical designs, including reflections and rotations. These patterns are like mathematical tessellations. They can go on forever, suggesting the idea of infinity. Artists created these patterns using only a ruler and a compass. Some experts, like Roman Verostko, say these designs are like early computer algorithms!

The circle often stands for unity and variety in nature. Many Islamic patterns begin with a circle. For example, a mosque in Yazd, Persia, from the 1400s, has a design based on a circle. It's surrounded by six other circles, forming a hexagon. This creates a six-pointed star pattern. This basic design is then covered with more colorful, detailed patterns.

Ernest Hanbury Hankin, an early Western student of these patterns, was amazed by the artists' skill. He noted how they combined polygons to create beautiful designs. He also observed rules, like showing only a quarter of a star in a corner.

The Topkapı Scroll, from Iran in the late 1400s or early 1500s, shows 114 patterns. It includes colorful designs for girih tiles and muqarnas ceilings.

The patterns at the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, have been studied a lot. Some researchers believe they contain many types of repeating patterns called "wallpaper groups." Moroccan woodwork from the 1300s to 1800s also used these groups.

Methods of construction
Two-dimensional designs for two quarter-dome muqarnas – like a seashell (top) or a fan (bottom). From the Topkapı Scroll, 15th century.
Girih tiling with a decagonal pattern on a spandrel from the Darb-e Imam shrine.
How a girih pattern is built in the Darb-e Imam spandrel (yellow line).
Ernest Hanbury Hankin studied octagonal patterns in Mughal architecture in 1925. 8-pointed stars appear where thick black lines cross.
Decoration at the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah, Agra. Notice how stars are shown correctly at corners and edges.

How Patterns Changed Over Time

Early stage: simple geometric patterns on lustre tiles in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia. These date from 836 onwards.

Early Designs

The first geometric shapes in Islamic art were simple. They included 8-pointed stars and diamond shapes. These appeared around 836 in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia. From there, they spread across the Islamic world.

Middle Period Patterns

Middle stage patterns on geometric borders around a Mihrab in the Alâeddin Mosque, Konya, Turkey. These date from 1220 onwards.

Next, 6- and 8-point stars became popular. You can see them from 879 at the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo. They then became common everywhere.

More types of patterns appeared from the 1000s. Abstract 6- and 8-point shapes were used in Persia in 1067. They also appeared in Egypt in 1085.

In 1086, 7- and 10-point girih patterns showed up in the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan. These 10-point girih patterns became very popular. Soon after, even more complex 9-, 11-, and 13-point girih patterns were used in Persia in 1098.

By 1220, 8- and 12-point girih rosette patterns appeared in Turkey. They also showed up in Baghdad in 1230. These designs then spread widely across the Islamic world.

Later, More Complex Patterns

Late stage: geometric, plant-like, and calligraphic patterns around the Mihrab at the Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri. These date from 1571-5.

The late stage began with simple 16-point patterns. These were seen in Cairo in 1321 and in the Alhambra in Spain around 1338–1390. More detailed 16-point patterns were found in Cairo in 1363. Finally, 14-point patterns appeared in the Jama Masjid in India between 1571 and 1596.

Artforms Using Geometric Patterns

Geometric patterns are used in many artforms across the Islamic world. These include ceramics, girih strapwork, jali stone screens, kilim rugs, leather, metalwork, muqarnas ceilings, shakaba stained glass, woodwork, and zellij tiling.

Ceramics

Pottery is great for circular designs. Bowls and plates can have patterns inside or out. These might be radial (like spokes on a wheel) or circular bands. Artists used these patterns on Islamic ceramics from the 1200s. Flowers with 6 petals, for example, could become simple geometric designs. Potters often chose patterns that fit the shape of their pots.

Girih Tilings and Woodwork

Girih are detailed patterns made from five standard shapes. This style is common in Persian Islamic buildings and decorative woodwork. Girih designs are made from cut brick, stucco, and mosaic tiles. In woodwork, especially in the Safavid period, they were used as lattice frames. These frames could hold colored glass or decorate walls and ceilings.

Girih patterns often look like straps weaving over and under each other. They are based on a hidden geometric grid. This grid creates a regular set of points. The visible pattern doesn't exactly match the hidden lines. This connection between the seen and unseen is like a search for knowledge in Islamic culture.

Jali

Mosque of Ibn Tulun: window with girih-style 10-point stars (at rear), with floral roundels in octagons forming a frieze at front.

Jali are stone screens with repeating patterns. They are a key part of Indo-Islamic architecture. You can see them in Mughal dynasty buildings like those at Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal. These geometric designs combine polygons like octagons and pentagons with stars. The patterns show symmetry and suggest infinity through repetition.

Jali screens acted as windows or room dividers. They offered privacy but still let in air and light. Today, simpler jali walls are sometimes made with pre-moulded blocks. Pierced windows in the girih style are also found in other parts of the Islamic world, like the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo.

Kilim

Some geometric motifs like the Wolf's Mouth (Kurt Aǧzi) are woven into tribal kilims. They are meant to protect flocks from wolves.

A kilim is a flat-woven carpet without a pile. It can be for home use or a prayer mat. The patterns are made by weaving threads back and forth. This creates small gaps, so kilims are sometimes called slit-woven textiles.

Kilims often have geometric patterns with 2- or 4-fold symmetry. Because weaving uses straight threads, curves are hard to make. So, patterns are mostly made with straight lines. Kilim patterns often tell you where they came from. Many kilim motifs have special meanings. For example, the wolf's mouth design is meant to protect sheep from wolves.

Leather

Islamic leather items often have patterns pressed into them. Leather book covers, especially for the Quran, were decorated with geometric patterns. These designs often included kufic script and medallions. They were usually framed by geometric braids.

Metalwork

Metal objects also feature the same geometric designs. However, in metalwork, these patterns are often used for borders. If they are in the main design area, they are usually mixed with other motifs. These could be flowers, arabesques, animals, or calligraphy. Geometric designs can form a grid for other motifs. Or they can be the background pattern.

Even on metal bowls and dishes, designs like arabesques are often placed in octagonal sections. Or they are arranged in circles around the object. Both repeating and non-repeating patterns are used. Interlaced six-pointed stars were very popular from the 1100s. Artists made these simple designs into very complex patterns.

Muqarnas

Muqarnas are fancy carved ceilings, often found in mosques. They are usually made of stucco, but can also be wood, brick, or stone. They are a special feature of Islamic buildings from the Middle Ages. They look like many layers of arches, getting smaller as they go up. They are often beautifully decorated.

Stained Glass

Geometric stained glass is used in many Islamic buildings. You can see it in the Palace of Shaki Khans in Azerbaijan, built in 1797. The patterns in these shabaka windows include 6-, 8-, and 12-point stars. These wooden-framed windows are a unique part of the palace. Shabaka windows are still made the traditional way in Sheki today.

Stained glass traditions also continue in Iran and Azerbaijan. Glazed windows with girih-like patterns are found in Turkey and Arab lands. The old city of Sana'a in Yemen also has stained glass windows in its tall buildings.

Zellij

Zellij (Arabic: الزَّلِيْج) is a type of geometric tilework. It uses glazed terracotta tiles set into plaster. This creates colorful mosaic patterns. This tradition is famous in Morocco, and also found in Moorish Spain. Zellij decorates mosques, public buildings, and wealthy homes.

Illustrations

Media used for Islamic geometric patterns
Safavid bowl with radial and circular motifs, Persia, 17th century.
Lustre tiles from Iran, probably Kashan, 1262. They show shapes representing Sufi symbols.
Glazed tilework Girih at Shah-i-Zinda in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Side of a wooden Minbar (pulpit) with 12-point stars. 14th century. Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.
Jali pierced stone screens at the tomb of Salim Chishti, Fatehpur Sikri, India.
Woven wool Kilim from Turkey.
Leather prayer book cover, Persia, 16th century.
Iron gate with 10-point stars and kites at Al-Rifa'i Mosque, Cairo (1869–1912).
Detail of bronze door, Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, Cairo, decorated with strapwork.
Muqarnas in Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran.
Geometric shabaka stained glass in the 1797 Palace of Shaki Khans, Azerbaijan.
Traditional Window, Sana'a, Yemen.
Glazed tile Zellij at Place el-Hedim in Meknes, Morocco.

Beyond Islamic Art

In Western Culture

Some people in Western countries used to think that mistakes in Islamic patterns, like on carpets, were put there on purpose. They thought artists did this to show humility, believing only Allah could create perfection. However, this idea is not true.

A tessellation of glazed ceramic tiles forming colorful geometric patterns in the Alhambra, Spain. These patterns inspired M. C. Escher.

Many museums in the West have Islamic geometric patterns. For example, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London has hundreds of objects. These include wallpaper, carved wood, brass, glass, and silk. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has many medieval objects with these patterns. These include tall Egyptian doors and a huge prayer niche from Isfahan.

Tessellations, arabesques, and calligraphy on a wall of the Myrtle court, Alhambra, Granada, Spain.

Islamic decoration greatly influenced Western art. Venetian merchants brought many goods back to Italy from the 1300s. These items inspired Western artists.

The Dutch artist M. C. Escher was especially inspired by the Alhambra's designs. He studied the math of tessellations. This changed his art and influenced his whole career. He called it "the richest source of inspiration I have ever tapped."

Influence on Science

Organizations like the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute study geometric patterns. They also look at other parts of Islamic art. In 2013, a symposium (a meeting of experts) on Islamic Arts and Geometric Patterns was held in Istanbul. Experts like Carol Bier and Peter J. Lu attended. In Britain, The Prince's School of Traditional Arts teaches courses in Islamic art. These include geometry, calligraphy, and arabesque forms.

Tomb towers of two Seljuk princes at Kharaghan, Qazvin province, Iran. They are covered with many brick patterns. These patterns inspired Ahmad Rafsanjani to create auxetic materials.

Computer graphics and manufacturing now help design these patterns. Craig S. Kaplan showed how Islamic star patterns can be created using algorithms.

In 2007, physicists Peter J. Lu and Paul Steinhardt made an interesting discovery. They said that girih designs, like those on the Darb-e Imam shrine, could create special tilings. These were similar to Penrose tilings, discovered in 1973. They showed that girih designs could be made using five special "girih tiles."

In 2016, Ahmad Rafsanjani used Islamic geometric patterns from Iranian tomb towers. He used them to create auxetic materials from rubber sheets. These materials can be stable when stretched or squeezed. They might be useful for surgical stents or spacecraft parts. Unlike normal materials, auxetic materials expand when pulled. This unusual behavior is inspired by Islamic patterns.