What are Moroccan Tiles?

Handmade, hand-glazed, and hand-cut Moroccan tiles, also known as Moorish or Zillij mosaic tile, are an essential ingredient to Moroccan and Moorish architecture and decorating. They are often characterized by complex geometric patterns, reflecting the beauty of geometry as an ancient art.

In the past, Moroccan craftsmen had extensive knowledge of geometry, creating mathematically precise patterns and designs using rope and an anchor point, or by drawing circles and lines.

Though the art form began many hundreds of years ago, Moroccan tiles first came to importance around the 14th century. In the 17th century, blue red and green colors were introduced, and the old enamels and natural colors remained in use until the beginning of the 20th century.