Moorish Moroccan Tiles…an artistic feast for the eyes…

The famous Moorish tiles of Morocco…against a backdrop of mostly earthy, pinkish-brown clay colours you simply cannot miss the splashes of vibrant colours everywhere. According to tradition, these tiles are decorating walls, ceilings, floors, entire bathrooms, window frames, water fountains, pools, tables, Mosques, houses or riad interiors…in fact, there aren’t many places or things that’s not decorated with at least a few of these treasured tiles. Avoided by the influence of technology, the methods of creating the hand-crafted Moorish Moroccan tiles have mostly stayed the same throughout the ages. This unique method is called Zellige, consisting of a series of typical patterns that represents a number of colourful geometric shapes. These shapes arose from the need of Islamic artists to create spatial decorations that avoided depictions of living things, consistent with the teachings of Islamic law. Moroccan tile-crafters take years to master this intricate skill, the art being transmitted from generation to generation by maâlems (master craftsmen). Today, the cities of Fes and Meknes are still the main centres where this amazing art is created, which is also one of the most popular items to buy in Morocco.