Moroccan Mosque Zellige Tilework -- North African Architecture HD Wallpaper
Free download β’ 1792Γ1024 β’ 2.9 MB
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About this image
The mosques of Morocco represent one of the most distinctive and beautiful regional expressions of Islamic architecture on earth -- and this HD wallpaper captures the full sensory richness of the Moroccan mosque tradition: the green-tiled minaret with its characteristic square form (distinct from the round minarets of Ottoman Turkey), the courtyard walls covered in intricate zellige mosaic tilework in cobalt, white, green, and terracotta, carved stucco panels above the tiles, and the shade of orange trees in the courtyard providing both practical relief from the heat and a sensory paradise of fragrance and beauty. Zellige (from the Berber word for "small polished stone") is the Moroccan art of cutting fired enamel tiles into small precise geometric shapes and assembling them by hand into complex geometric patterns -- a craft that has been practiced in Fez since the 10th century and remains a living tradition today. The ancient medina of Fez contains dozens of medieval mosques whose zellige courtyards and carved stucco remain largely unchanged from their construction centuries ago. The Kairaouine Mosque in Fez, founded in 859 CE, is the oldest continuously operating university in the world -- a reminder that the mosque in Islamic civilization was always simultaneously a house of prayer, a center of learning, and a hub of community life. The green minaret of Morocco is said to have inspired the color green's deep association with Islam. Free HD download.
