Page 62 - Exploration10LLR
P. 62
Geometric Patterns
Tiles were introduced to Iberia by
Moors from North Africa. The word
azulejo comes from the arabic for
'little stone'. This probably referred
originally to mosaics. Most of the
Moors in Iberia belonged to the
Sunni branch of Islam which
outlawed images of living things. It
has been suggested that this is why
tiles from this period use geometric
patterns rather than the organic
floral patterns of the Portuguese.
The Moors left behind many
examples of tiles when they were
expelled from Portugal. The fashion
for tiles and white washed walls
continued without them.
The tiles shown on the left are not
from Moorish times, but to this day
the taste for geometric patterns
remains.
