Editing Islamic art (section)

===Tiling===
{{further|Islamic geometric patterns|Tessellation}}

[[File:HeratFridayMosque.jpg|thumb|left|Tiled exterior of the [[Friday Mosque of Herat]], [[Afghanistan]]]]
The earliest grand Islamic buildings, like the [[Dome of the Rock]] in [[Jerusalem]], had interior walls decorated with [[mosaic]]s in the Byzantine style, but without human figures. From the 9th century onwards the distinctive Islamic tradition of glazed and brightly coloured [[tile|tiling]] for interior and exterior walls and [[dome]]s developed. Some earlier schemes create designs using mixtures of tiles each of a single colour that are either cut to shape or are small and of a few shapes, used to create abstract geometric patterns.  Later large painted schemes use tiles painted before firing with a part of the scheme – a technique requiring confidence in the consistent results of firing.

Some elements, especially the letters of inscriptions, may be moulded in three-dimensional [[relief]], and in especially in Persia certain tiles in a design may have figurative painting of animals or single human figures. These were often part of designs mostly made up of tiles in plain colours, but with larger fully painted tiles at intervals. The larger tiles are often shaped as eight-pointed stars, and may show animals or a human head or bust, or plant or other motifs. The geometric patterns, such as modern North African [[zellij]] work, made of small tiles each of a single colour but different and regular shapes, are often referred to as "[[mosaic]]", which is not strictly correct.

The Mughals made much less use of tiling, preferring (and being able to afford) "parchin kari", a type of [[pietra dura]] decoration from inlaid panels of semi-precious stones, with jewels in some cases. This can be seen at the [[Taj Mahal]], [[Agra Fort]] and other imperial commissions. The motifs are usually floral, in a simpler and more realistic style than Persian or Turkish work, relating to plants in Mughal miniatures.