Editing Tile (section)

=== Islamic ===
[[File:Imam Mosque by Amir.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|Shah Mosque]] in [[Isfahan]], [[Iran]]]]
Early Islamic mosaics in [[Iran]] consist mainly of geometric decorations in [[mosque]]s and [[mausoleum]]s, made of glazed brick. Typical, turquoise, tiling becomes popular in 10th-11th century and is used mostly for [[Kufic]] inscriptions on mosque walls. [[Seyyed mosque (Isfahan)|Seyyed Mosque]] in [[Isfahan]] (AD 1122), Dome of Maraqeh (AD 1147) and the Jame Mosque of Gonabad (1212 AD) are among the finest examples.<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile">[http://www.iranchamber.com/art/articles/tile_history1.php Iran: Visual Arts: history of Iranian Tile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124201206/http://iranchamber.com/art/articles/tile_history1.php |date=24 November 2010 }}, Iran Chamber Society</ref> The dome of [[Jame' Atiq Mosque of Qazvin]] is also dated to this period.

[[File:Turquoise muqarna MBA Lyon 1969-331.jpg|thumb|right|Timurid turquoise-glazed [[muqarna]]. First half of the 15th century, [[Shah-i-Zinda]]]]
The golden age of Persian tilework began during the [[Timurid Empire]]. In the [https://www.aventetiletalk.com/2012/12/persian-tile-form-of-art-and-religious.html moraq] technique, single-color tiles were cut into small geometric pieces and assembled by pouring liquid plaster between them. After hardening, these panels were assembled on the walls of buildings. But the mosaic was not limited to flat areas. Tiles were used to cover both the interior and exterior surfaces of domes. Prominent Timurid examples of this technique include the [[Jame mosque of Yazd|Jame Mosque of Yazd]] (AD 1324–1365), [[Goharshad Mosque]] (AD 1418), the Madrassa of Khan in Shiraz (AD 1615), and the [[Molana Mosque]] (AD 1444).<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile" />

Other important tile techniques of this time include [[girih tiles]], with their characteristic white girih, or straps.

[[Mihrab]]s, being the focal points of mosques, were usually the places where most sophisticated tilework was placed. The 14th-century mihrab at Madrasa Imami in [[Isfahan]] is an outstanding example of aesthetic union between the [[Islamic calligraphy|Islamic calligrapher's art]] and abstract ornament. The [[Ogive#Architecture|pointed arch]], framing the mihrab's niche, bears an inscription in Kufic script used in 9th-century [[Qur'an]].<ref name="Gardner">{{cite book
| title  = Gardner's Art Through The Ages, A Global History
| author = Fred S. Kleiner
| year = 2008
| isbn   = 978-0-495-41059-1
| page   = 357
| publisher = Cengage Learning
}}</ref>

One of the best known architectural masterpieces of Iran is the [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|Shah Mosque]] in Isfahan, from the 17th century. Its dome is a prime example of tile mosaic and its winter praying hall houses one of the finest ensembles of ''[[cuerda seca]]'' tiles in the world. A wide variety of tiles had to be manufactured in order to cover complex forms of the hall with consistent mosaic patterns. The result was a technological triumph as well as a dazzling display of abstract ornament.<ref name="Gardner" />

During the [[Safavid Empire|Safavid period]], mosaic ornaments were often replaced by a ''haft rang'' (seven colors) technique. Pictures were painted on plain rectangle tiles, glazed and fired afterwards. Besides economic reasons, the seven colors method gave more freedom to artists and was less time-consuming. It was popular until the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar period]], when the palette of colors was extended by yellow and orange.<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile" /> The seven colors of Haft Rang tiles were usually [[black]], [[white]], [[ultramarine]], [[Turquoise (color)|turquoise]], [[red]], [[yellow]] and [[Fawn (colour)|fawn]].

The [[Persianate]] tradition continued and spread to much of the Islamic world, notably the [[İznik pottery]] of [[Turkey]] under the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the 16th and 17th centuries. Palaces, public buildings, [[mosque]]s and [[türbe]] mausoleums were heavily decorated with large brightly colored patterns, typically with floral motifs, and [[frieze]]s of astonishing complexity, including floral motifs and calligraphy as well as geometric patterns.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px"> 
Tile at Topkapi Palace Istanbul.jpg|Tile in the [[Topkapi Palace]], [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]]
Enderun library Topkapi 42.JPG|Enderun library, Topkapi Palace
Window Apartments of the Crown Prince.JPG|Window Apartments of the Crown Prince, Topkapi Palace
File:Nadir Madrasah Phoenix.JPG|Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, [[Bukhara]], [[Uzbekistan]]
File:Mekhnes Place El-Hedine Mosaique2.jpg|''Zellij'' tilework in the [[Palace El-Hedine]], [[Meknes]], Morocco
</gallery>

Islamic buildings in [[Bukhara]] in central Asia (16th-17th century) also exhibit very sophisticated floral ornaments. In [[South Asia]] monuments and shrines adorned with [[Qashani|Kashi]] tile work from Persia became a distinct feature of the shrines of [[Multan]] and [[Sindh]]. The [[Wazir Khan Mosque]] in Lahore stands out as one of the masterpieces of Kashi time work from the [[Mughal period]].

The ''zellige'' tradition of Arabic [[North Africa]] uses small colored tiles of various shapes to make very complex geometric patterns. It is halfway to mosaic, but as the different shapes must be fitted precisely together, it falls under tiling. The use of small coloured glass fields also make it rather like [[enamelling]], but with ceramic rather than metal as the support.