The art of persian tiling and types of tiles

Persian Tiles is an Iranian art that reached its peak with the arrival of Islam in the land of the Persians and the creation of the Iranian-Islamic architectural style.  Tiling is hard and tedious, but it is an Persian art whose amazing results are manifested in various types of mosaics, seven colors, Moqali and Mogharnas.

Tiling is the fifth most basic method in decorating a building, which is still one of the most beautiful and, of course, the most expensive decorations.  The art of tiling in Iran reached its peak with the advent of Islam, Iranian architecture that was implemented in Islamic places without tiling would certainly not have been saved.

The beauty of many places in Iran and the world is due to the decoration of tiles, a combination of clay, Persian gemstone and other materials that are made, baked and glazed in six stages to show a spectacular design and role.  There are different types of tiles, each of which has its own beauty and appearance. In the following, we will introduce some of the most famous types of tiles:

Sun Pattern Tiles

Different type of Persian ceramics

Mosaic tiling

The most beautiful and difficult tile model is the mosaic, which can be performed only by great masters.  In this type of tiling, different pieces of tiles are cut and worked together to create a so-called beautiful fabric of the tile.  Tile mosaic work became popular from the fourth century AH during the Seljuk rule and reached perfection in the eighth century.  In this century, different sections and shapes of tiles became smaller, and artistic designs were created.

Mosaic tile is done in several steps, first, the master draws the desired design and paints it carefully.  The design is then numbered and segmented, after which the designs are arranged on paper and sorted by color.  The cut paper is glued to the tile with the desired color using my hair.

Once the glued paper is completely dry, they start cutting the tile pieces with an ax, which is called “lipstick”.  After cutting and polishing the Persian Tiles, it is time to put them together according to the numbering of the tile pieces.  Finally, mortar and tile installation will be done on the desired location.  This model of tiling requires very high precision and requires a lot of effort.

Many landmarks feature mosaic tiling. The Safavids showed great interest in this tiling style and developed it to its peak. You can see the finest examples of mosaic tiles in Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Abbasi Mosque, Abbasi Caravanserai, Kaboud Mosque in Tabriz, and parts of Niavaran Palace.

clay tiles

Color Week Tiling

In this method, tiles with regular shapes and dimensions are placed side by side with square, rectangular and hexagonal shapes according to the master’s taste and the characteristics of the workplace.  In this type of tiling, the design is first copied from paper onto the tile using charcoal, then painted and the tile is placed in the oven.  Black, white, azure, Firoozeh Koobi, red, yellow and fawn are the seven common colors used in seven-color tiling.

Glazed tiles or seven-color Persian Tiles from the Achaemenid historical period were seen in ancient buildings, but they have never been used seriously and extensively in buildings.  Until the Seljuk historical period, colored tiles found their place in the decoration of important buildings and became one of the most influential parts of the building.

This tiling model works faster than mosaic and seven-color tiling. People use it more in religious places. After Islam spread, builders applied this tiling widely in mosques, especially on minarets. The minaret of Chaharbagh School in Isfahan shows a beautiful and excellent example of seven-color or brick Persian tiles.

Flower and chicken design tiles

Mental tile

Putting together very small Persian Tiles, which are usually square or rectangular in shape, is a sensible tile.

Moqeli style combines tiling and brickwork. This design reduces the expansion and contraction of the tiles, which helps protect the tile glaze from damage. Moqeli tiles feature various straight lines along vertical and horizontal axes, and sometimes diagonal lines at a 45-degree angle, creating a checkered pattern.

People also call Moqelli tiling masonry because it decorates buildings with Kufic script. Architects use this script mainly in decoration rather than writing. First, they mark the text on a checkered page, then arrange the letters. Finally, workers install bricks and Persian tiles on the building to form the letters and display the writing.

Although this type of tiling was invented by the Iranians before the advent of Islam, it was perfected during the Islamic era and in the fifth century AH.  Moqelli tiling can be seen well in the buildings left from the Timurid and patriarchal eras, this type of decoration can be seen even in contemporary works such as the shrine of Imam Reza and Imamzadeh Saleh.  In the Isfahan Grand Mosque and Ali Mosque, there are inscriptions in the style of Moqeli.

Mogharnas Tile

Mogharnas holds a very important place in Iranian-Islamic architecture. It looks like ladders, steps, or pendants similar to a lamp. People compare Mogharnas to a deer’s snout, and its roots trace back to Greek bases and cornices. At first, builders used Mogharnas for structural purposes. Over time, craftsmen turned it into a decorative element, placing it on entrances of important buildings like mosques and markets.

Mogharnas is a type of decoration that depends on various materials such as tiles and plaster.  This decoration is available in four types: forward moorings, stacked mohawks, suspended mohawks and honeycomb mohawks.  In each type, workers first use plaster, bricks, and lime to create the design. They cut and shape the chandeliers as desired. Then, they glue the Persian tiles made to fit the building onto the design. These Persian Tiles can be seven types of tiles, mosaics, etc.

Experts call Mogharnas one of the most important pillars of Islamic architecture because it spread from the east to the south of Spain. You can see it as an Iranian element in many Islamic buildings. Historians don’t know the exact date of its invention or who created it. However, Safavid architecture shows the most beautiful examples, especially in the Naghsh Jahan Square complex and the Abbasi Grand Mosque.

Carpet Pattern Puzzle Tiles

Lattice Tiling

As its name implies, lattice tiling is a type of tiling in which the tile becomes a grid;  So that light can pass through it.  Among the architectural works and buildings left from the past, such as bazaars, baths and mosques, there is a curtain or a net of pottery or Persian Tiles, which according to some researchers of the changing climate of Iran, bright sun, wind, storm, tornado and special national ideas.  And religion has created such networks.

The windows made of lattice Persian Tiles have expelled pests, kept the house private and allowed light to pass through easily. Artisans make lattice tiles in two ways. They cut glazed pottery based on the design. Then, they join the pieces to form the final pattern.

The lattices of Sheikh Lotfollah Grand Mosque, the tomb of Jafar Isfahani and the tomb of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili are among the most beautiful examples of lattice tiles.