Dictionary of islamic architecture

taq
Iranian term for an arch.
tekke
Also known as a dergah, a tekke is a lodge for
dervishes. Tekkes are a frequent occurrence in
Turkish architecture and are usually part of a
complex which includes a mosque and memorial
tomb. They may be regarded as the counterpart of
the more orthodox madrassa. A tekke often consists
of a number of individual cells which are used as
shelters for the dervishes.
See also:
Edirne, Ottomans, Turkey
tilework
Glazed tiles are one of the most characteristic features of
Islamic architecture.
Three distinct tile formats were developed which
may be characterized as single tiles, composite tile
panels and tile mosaics. Single tiles are complete
compositions which may include abstract designs
or figural representation but are independent of
other tiles. Composite tile panels consist of several
tiles carrying a design or picture which together
form a complete composition. Tile mosaics are
made of many pieces of monochrome coloured tile
which are joined together to form a picture. There
is also a fourth category which consists of three-
dimensional glazed ceramics which are used to
form architectural features such as mihrabs. The
decoration of tiles may be classified according to
the various techniques used, which are similar to
those used on pottery. The simplest technique is to
paint a tile with a monochrome glaze before firing.
Extra colours may be added by coating the glaze
with lustre after the first firing and then firing the
tile a second time at a lower temperature. More
complex polychrome tiles may be produced by
using a technique known as ‘cuerda seca’ which
uses coloured glazes separated by outlines made
of a greasy substance which burns away after firing.
Other techniques include overglaze painting
(known as ‘minai’), underglaze painting and relief
moulded designs.
The earliest dated examples of Islamic tiles are
those around the mihrab of the Great Mosque of
Qairawan which were produced in Iraq sometime
before 862 CE. These are square tiles (21 cm per side)
decorated with abstract and vegetal forms in
polychrome and monochrome lustre on a white
ground. From the eleventh century onwards tiles
replaced mosaics as the main form of wall decoration
in many parts of the Islamic world. Three main
tilemaking traditions can be distinguished: these are
Spain and North Africa, Turkey and Iran.
In Seljuk Iran the exterior surfaces of brick
buildings were enlivened by blue-green glazed
tilework

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bricks or tiles whilst alternating star- and cross-
shaped minai tiles were used to decorate interiors.
Other techniques developed during the Seljuk
period include tile mosaics and decorative
inscriptions which were generally restricted to blue,
black, turquoise and green as the main pigments.
In the fourteenth century potters working in Tabriz
developed the cuerda seca technique which enabled
them to adopt complex Chinese patterns. This
technique continued to be used during the Saffavid
period and it was not until the nineteenth century
that underglaze painting was introduced to Iranian
tilework. The tilework of Iran also influenced the
architecture of India to the east, in particular the
area of present-day Pakistan. Generally Indian
glazed tilework was restricted to tile mosaics and
can be seen in the magnificent ‘Picture Wall’ at
Lahore Fort. Indian craftsmen took the tile mosaic
one stage further when they developed the
technique of mirror mosaics which was later
adopted in Iran.
In Spain and North Africa a technique of tile
mosaic, known as zilij, was developed using yellow,
green, blue and turquoise tiles. In the eighteenth
century the Ottomans introduced the techniques of
polychrome panels made of square or rectangular
tiles. One of the main centres of production was
Tunis, where tiles were decorated with green, yellow
and blue designs. Before the fifteenth century several
different formats of tile decoration were used in
Anatolia which included tile mosaic, hexagonal,
octagonal, star- and cross-shaped tiles. In the
fourteenth century the Ottomans adopted the Persian
technique of cuerda seca for the brilliant green tiles
which characterize early Ottoman mosques such as
the Yesil Cami in Bursa. However, the most
significant development came in the sixteenth
century when the potteries of Iznik began producing
tilework for imperial use. The achievement of Iznik
potters was to produce tiles with underglaze colours
which remained stable under the glaze.
Characteristic colours of Iznik tiles are blue,
turquoise and red against a white background.