Islamic Design

Across the Islamic world, illuminating Korans from Morocco to Malaysia, and adorning mosques, mausoleums and palaces, are hidden some of the most exquisite geometrical devices ever conceived by man. In this excellent little book geometer Daud Sutton unravels the mystery of Islamic patterns, explaining where they come from, how to draw them, and hinting at the Divine messages they encode.

contents Introduction First Things First Sixes Extrapolated Transforming a Subgrid Give and Take Eig
Introduction 1 The role of sacred art is to support the spiritual life of those whom it surrounds, t
2 3 First things First unfolding from unity Consider a point, dimensionless position in space. Exte
4 5 Sixes Extrapolated some more basics Many different techniques of geometric construction have bee
6 7 transforming a Subgrid and framing the infinite The construction on the previous page also defin
8 9 Give and take the breath of the compassionate Start with a circle set on a horizontal line and t
10 11 EightFold rosettes and some construction principles A prevalent device in Islamic geometric pa
12 13 Quran literally means recitation, for initially the Holy Book was memorized by heart. Soon, h
14 15 A repeating arabesque design in carved plaster from Alhambra in a typically Maghribi style. A
16 17 Start with the basic starandhexagon pattern below left and rotate each star through one twelft
18 19 From the disciples of Christ to the months of the canonical lunar year the number twelve has m
20 21 Generating patterns by the interplay of square and hexagonal repeat structures with twelvefold
22 23 Most of the patterns covered so far repeat on either a regular hexagonal or square grid, and a
24 25 FourFold Permutations quadruples in quadrangles Joining the centers of squares set in a regula
26 27 Over the centuries artisans in the Maghrib, the West of the Islamic world, explored a remarkab
28 29 The cut tile work of the Maghrib is known as zill1 j. The medieval glaze palette for this wor
30 31 the same at different scales Mathematicians use the term fractal to refer to mathematical obje
32 33 Arcing Patterns the balance of line and curve Not all Islamic patterns leave circles hidden wi
34 35 Unlike triangles, squares and hexagons, regular pentagons cannot be arranged to fill a flat su
36 37 Arabic letters all have numerical values. This system, known as abjad, was originally used for
38 39 between the two families Decimal Connections The basic tenfold patterns on the previous pages
40 41 Perfect Fourteen number of the prophet The patterns shown here are based on fourteenfold roset
42 43 Singular Stellations working with odd numbers With a few notable exceptions, such as five and
44 45 Making things Fit tweaking towards unification The tweaking technique used on the previous pag
46 47 Dome Geometry the third dimension Islamic architecture is well known for its domed structures.
48 49 Muqarnas celestial cascades Surmounting a square or rectangular structure with a dome necessit
50 51 Closing thoughts and further possibilities Traditional Islamic ornament is eminently functiona
one twoPiece Patterns The patterns below are all made of only one or two different shapes and are c
The Umm alGirih is the starting point for a whole range of patterns. An excellent way to explore th
Subgrids Most patterns in this book rest on relatively simple polygonal subgrids. Those used are sho
Braided Borders Gilded interlaced borders are frequently found in the Islamic arts of the book. They