Moroccan Non-Written History: Tessallations (Mosaic Art)
The most famous,
non-written source of cultural and historical significance in Morocco is
definitively the world-famous mosaics, known as zellige, or zellij (kellij). The word is Arabic for “little polished stone”.[1] This tile-design art form has
been passed down through the generations since the 11th century, but did not
originate in North Africa. Due to Morocco’s proximity to Spain and Portugal,
the art form was brought in by Moors who were the originators of the
Greco-Roman style found there. Although the Moroccan arrays do reflect a Berber
influence, the patterns, which are highly mathematical and geometric[2], using tesserae[3], or tiles, to pay homage
to Islamic spirituality. A tessellation, used in both the arts and mathematics,
is defined as “a shape that is repeated, (over and over again) covering a plane without any gaps or
overlaps”.[4]
Since Islam forbids the
depiction of living beings (idolatry being an offense to God), artisans of these
abstract designs introduced the style centuries ago to “encourage the mind to contemplate the
perfection of God”.[5] The original colors were brown and white,
but later, “reds,
yellows, greens, blues and now more modern colors like turquoise and rose” were
introduced.[6] Morocco
is known for the craft, which can be seen in every major city, especially Fes,
Meknes, Marrakesh and Casablanca, where the Hassan II palace is a modern shrine
to mosaic artistry, dedicated in 1993.[7]
The wealthy use the designs, which takes teams of skilled craftsman to complete over
months, to embellish their homes and display their opulence.[8]
One Harvard physicist studying the art ‘marveled’ that, “They made
tiling reflecting mathematics that were so sophisticated that we didn’t figure
it out until the last 20-30 years”; and scholars of various fields like
engineering and computer science still study the complexity of the pieces today.
One website calls it “an art form, a craft, a tradition, a discipline, a form
of worship”.[9]
Regardless, they are part of the charm and mystery that is Morocco.
.
[1]
"Where To Find Zellige? Photo Gallery, History, Handmade Zellige and
Mosaic from Morocco," Where To Find Zellige? Photo Gallery, History, Handmade Zellige and Mosaic from Morocco, , accessed January 25, 2017, http://zellige.info/index-en.html.
[2]
"The Beautifully Complex Art of Moroccan Mosaics," Scribol.com, March
14, 2014, , accessed January 25, 2017,
http://scribol.com/art-and-design/architecture-art-and-design/the-beautifully-complex-art-of-moroccan-mosaics/.
[4]
"Google," Google, , accessed
January 27, 2017, https://www.google.com/#q=definition of tessellation in maths.
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