Useful resources & links
There are a huge range of websites, books, and videos that can help you learn more about Islamic geometric patterns and how to construct them. Here is our recommended list, based on the resources that we have used and what others have recommended to us.
Alhambra-specific
For a comprehensive treatment on the patterns that can be found in The Alhambra, Granada, Manuel Martinez Vela’s books are an invaluable resource. The story of Alhambra Mosaic Studio started in 2018 when our founder purchased a copy of “The Alhambra With A Ruler And Compass”. This provides an accessible introduction to a collection of patterns found in mosaic and plasterwork in the palace of the Alhambra.
This was followed up in 2022 with “How To Draw The Mosaics Of The Alhambra” which covers every mosaic found in the palace as well as the Alhambra Museum – an astounding book with over 600 pages of drawing and instruction.
Islamic Geometry
This is a small selection of books that explain how to construct islamic geometric patterns from first principles. Books are listed in increasing order of difficulty and price. If you get just one book, we recommend the very first in this list.
Islamic Design: A Genius for Geometry
This slim volume is a highly digestible yet surprisingly wide-ranging book on islamic geometry and the construction of patterns from the principal families and grids. At 64 pages, it packs a lot of essential information into a tiny book, explaining both the meaning and construction of islamic geometric patterns.
Arts & Crafts of the Islamic Lands – Thames & Hudson
This book, published by the the School of Traditional Arts, provides an overview of the principal elements of islamic art (geometry, caligraphy and islimi), and their various applications in ceramics, plasterwork, woodwork, illumination, and more.
In terms of geometry, this book covers over 200 pages of theory, from construction of squares, triangles and hexagons to five-fold, six-fold and eightfold patterns.
Islamic Design: A Mathematical Approach
Widely regarded as one of the best books in the field, and written by Brian Wichmann (responsible for the Tiling Search database) and David Wade (responsible for the Patterns in Islamic Art website). This book is split into two parts, with the first part covering the historical, cultural and religious context of islamic geometric patterns and their regional variation, and the second part providing a detailed mathematical analysis.
Web resources
Patterns in Islamic Art
An invaluable resource featuring David Wade’s extensive photo collection of islamic geometric patterns on location, covering Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Iran, India, Turkey, and Transoxiana. Patterns include their equivalent digital rendition in the Tiling Search database where relevant. This website also includes scans of several important books on islamic geometry including the Topaki scrolls and Les éléments de l’art arabe.
Tiling Search
Project by Brian Wichmann providing a searchable database of islamic geometric patterns. Patterns can be searched by origin, symmetry, and the presence or absence of specific polygons. Now maintained by MIT.
Samira Mian
Samira Mian is an educator on Islamic geometric art. Aside from downloadable pattern tutorials (see below) and equipment recommendations, her site features a comprehensive review of a wide range of books in the field, as well as a much more comprehensive resources library compared to our own website!
Live courses (in-person and online)
Art of Islamic Pattern (Online / Study trips on location)
Founded by Adam Williamson & Richard Henry in 2008, the Art of Islamic Pattern offers online courses, short courses at their London studio, and annual international study trips to famous sites of Islamic art and architecture including Fez, Granada, Cordoba, Istanbul, Cairo, and more.
School of Traditional Arts (Online / UK)
Founded by the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) in 2005, the School of Traditional Arts offers short-term courses and Postgraduate programmes covering a wide range of traditional arts, with geometry as the unifying core. Courses cover islamic art as well as medieval Christian art, with a focus on techniques and practice as well as theory.
Sacred Art of Geometry (UK)
An educational centre offering short courses in sacred geometry all year round in Emerson College campus in East Sussex, founded and led by Daniel Docherty.
On-demand tutorials
Art of Islamic Pattern archive
Art of Islamic Pattern have a large archive of online courses taught over the years including guest appearances form leading islamic geometric artists and educators.
Samira Mian tutorial packs
Samira Mian has a huge and ever-increasing collection of pattern tutorials on her site, as well as a Youtube channel covering some of the most popular patterns across the Islamic world. Her tutorial packs often teach how to construct a number of pattern variations from the same underlying grid, as well as painting and colour inspiration from her many past students from online and in-person workshops.
Islamic Geometric Pattern Academy
A website by Mohamad Ismail Al Janabi with a number of in-depth courses on fourfold, fivefold, and sixfold patterns. Course are organised by difficulty level, with some courses teaching 30+ patterns, pattern files included.
Sandy Kurt
Sandy Kurt is known for her impossibly miniature and precise drawings of islamic geometric patterns and provides a set of courses on constructing Zellige patterns.
Software programmes
There is nothing quite like the tangible experience of working with geometric tiles directly or drawing your own patterns with a pencil – but these digital tools can help your experiment more quickly and build complex patterns and designs:
Zellige / Girih
These Mac applications are useful beginner tools to see how patterns can be made from individual shapes, or for experimenting with different colour schemes. Patterns can be exported as SVG or image files.
Geogebra
Geogebra (a combination of geometry and algebra) can be used to draw islamic geometric patterns precisely with the ability to export in SVG format. This app has a steeper learning curve especially when applied to islamic geometry, so we recommend the following tutorials:
Procreate
A popular drawing programme available for Ipad that allows you to render islamic geometric patterns in a range of artistic styles, from block print to line drawing or watercolours. We recommend the following tutorials to help you apply Procreate to your islamic geometry projects:
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