Qallalin tiles

Last updated
Qallaline tile decoration in the Mosque of the Barber in Kairouan, Tunisia Tiled wall Mosque of the Barber Kairouan, Tunisia 2012.jpg
Qallaline tile decoration in the Mosque of the Barber in Kairouan, Tunisia

Qallalin tiles or Qallaline tiles were a type of decorative tile which was characteristic of Tunisian architecture during the 17th and 18th centuries.

This type of tile was named for the Qallalin district of Tunis, where they were most commonly produced. [1] :223–224 [2] :84 Although their production may have started as early as the 16th century, prior to the advent of Ottoman rule, the height of their production and artistic quality was in the 17th and 18th centuries. [2] :84 [3] The Qallalin workshops also produced other pottery objects including vases, jars, pitchers, and lamps. [4] Their quality and production gradually declined in the 19th century. [2] :84

The tiles are typically underglaze-painted with motifs of vases, plants, and arches. The predominant colours are blue, green, and ochre-like yellow, which distinguishes them from contemporary Ottoman tiles. [1] :223–224 Good examples of them are found in the Zawiya of Abu al-Balawi or "Mosque of the Barber" in Kairouan, [1] :223–224 as well as in a number of historic palaces and aristocratic houses in Tunis. [2] :86–89

In addition to being used in local buildings, they were also widely exported to Algeria, Libya, Egypt, and in some cases even to Spain. [2] :84–86 [5] The Gurgi Mosque in Tripoli, Libya, also has tile panels in a style identical to those of Tunis and Kairouan. [2] :86 In Egypt, Qallalin tiles are found in the Mosque of Abu al-Dhahab in Cairo, [6] in the Mosque of Ibrahim Terbana in Alexandria, [7] [8] and in the Mosque of Salah Agha Duqmaqsis in Rosetta. [9] In Constantine and Algiers they are mostly found in palaces. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kairouan</span> City in Kairouan Governorate, Tunisia

Kairouan, also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan, is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya ; this is when it became an important centre for Sunni Islamic scholarship and Quranic learning, attracting Muslims from various parts of the world. The Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aghlabids</span> 800–909 Arab dynasty of North Africa and South Italy

The Aghlabids were an Arab dynasty centered in Ifriqiya from 800 to 909 that conquered parts of Sicily, Southern Italy, and possibly Sardinia, nominally as vassals of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Aghlabids were from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim and adhered to the Mu'tazilite rationalist doctrine within Hanafi Sunni Islam, which they imposed as the state doctrine of Ifriqiya. They ruled until 909 when they were conquered by the new power of the Fatimids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafsid dynasty</span> 1229–1574 Sunni Berber dynasty in North Africa

The Hafsids were a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descent who ruled Ifriqiya from 1229 to 1574.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Mosque</span> Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Star Mosque, is a mosque located in Armanitola area, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The mosque has ornate designs and is decorated with motifs of blue stars. It was built in the first half of the 19th century by Mirza Golam Pir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyüp Sultan Mosque</span> Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque is in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, outside the city walls and near the Golden Horn. The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot where Ebu Eyüp el-Ansari, the standard-bearer and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, is said to have been buried. On a much older site, the present building dates from the beginning of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Mosque of Kairouan</span> Tunisian religious building and site of Islamic worship

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, also known as the Mosque of Uqba, is a mosque situated in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan, Tunisia and is one of the largest Islamic monuments in North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorish architecture</span> Architectural style historically developed in the western Islamic world

Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Scholarly references on Islamic architecture often refer to this architectural tradition in terms such as architecture of the Islamic West or architecture of the Western Islamic lands. The use of the term "Moorish" comes from the historical Western European designation of the Muslim inhabitants of these regions as "Moors". Some references on Islamic art and architecture consider this term to be outdated or contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djamaa el Kebir</span> Historic mosque in Algiers, Algeria

Djamaa el Kebir, also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers, is a historic mosque in Algiers, Algeria. It is located within the Casbah, near the city's harbor. Dating to 1097, it is one of the few remaining examples of Almoravid architecture, although it has undergone other additions and reconstructions since its foundation. It is the oldest mosque in Algiers and is said to be one of the oldest mosques in Algeria after Sidi Okba Mosque and Sidi Ghanem Mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqsunqur Mosque</span> Mosque in Cairo, Egypt

The Aqsunqur Mosque (Arabic: مسجد آق, Turkish: Aksungur Camii; also known as the Blue Mosque or the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha is located in Cairo, Egypt and is one of several "blue mosques" in the world. It is situated in the Tabbana Quarter in Islamic Cairo, between Bab Zuweila and the Citadel of Cairo. The Aqsunqur Mosque also serves as a funerary complex, containing the mausoleums of its founder Shams ad-Din Aqsunqur, his sons, a number of children of the Bahri Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad and that of its principal restorer, Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic Museum, Jerusalem</span> Museum in Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem

The Islamic Museum is a museum at Al Aqsa in the Old City section of Jerusalem. On display are exhibits from ten periods of Islamic history encompassing several Muslim regions. The museum is west of al-Aqsa Mosque, across a courtyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Zaytuna Mosque</span> Historical mosque in Tunis, Tunisia

Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque, is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the oldest in the city and covers an area of 5,000 square metres with nine entrances. It was founded at the end of the 7th century or in the early 8th century, but its current architectural form dates from a reconstruction in the 9th century, including many antique columns reused from Carthage, and from later additions and restorations over the centuries. The mosque hosted one of the first and greatest universities in the history of Islam. Many Muslim scholars graduated from al-Zaytuna for over a thousand years. Ibn 'Arafa, a major Maliki scholar, al-Maziri, the great traditionalist and jurist, and Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, a famous Tunisian poet, all taught there, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasbah Mosque, Tunis</span> Mosque in Tunis, Tunisia

Kasbah Mosque is a mosque in Tunis, Tunisia. It is a listed as a Historical Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosque of Abu al-Dhahab</span> Mosque in Cairo, Egypt

The Mosque of Abu al-Dhahab is an 18th-century mosque in Cairo, Egypt, located next to the Al-Azhar Mosque. It is a notable example of Egyptian-Ottoman architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Tlemcen</span> Berber kingdom in Algeria (1235–1554)

The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen was a kingdom ruled by the Berber Zayyanid dynasty in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijilmasa and the Moulouya River in the west, Tuat to the south and the Soummam in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banu Khurasan</span>

The Banu Khurasan or Khurasanid dynasty was a Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled an independent principality centered on Tunis, in present-day Tunisia, between approximately 1058 and 1159. They rose to power following the political vacuum left behind by the Zirids when they abandoned Kairouan for Mahdia in 1157, in the face of pressure from the Banu Hilal. While de facto independent, they continued to recognize the suzerainty of either Zirids or the Hammadids for much of this period. Their rule was interrupted by Hammadid annexation from 1128 and 1148, and their authority came to a final end with the Almohad conquest in 1159.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman architecture in Egypt</span> Overview of Ottoman architecture in Egypt

Ottoman architecture in Egypt, during the period after the Ottoman conquest in 1517, continued the traditions of earlier Mamluk architecture but was influenced by the architecture of the Ottoman Empire. Important new features introduced into local architecture included the pencil-style Ottoman minaret, central-domed mosques, new tile decoration and other characteristics of Ottoman architecture. Architectural patronage was reduced in scale compared to previous periods, as Egypt became an Ottoman province instead of the center of an empire. One of the most common types of building erected in Cairo during this period is the sabil-kuttab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Tunisia</span>

The architecture of Tunisia began with the ancient civilizations such as the Carthaginians, Numidians, and Romans. After the 7th century, Islamic architecture developed in the region under a succession of dynasties and empires. In the late 19th century French colonial rule introduced European architecture, and modern architecture became common in the second half of the 20th century. The southern regions of the country are also home to diverse examples of local vernacular architecture used by the Berber (Amazigh) population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafsid architecture</span> Period of architecture in North Africa

Hafsid architecture developed under the patronage of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya during the 13th to 16th centuries. Evolving from earlier Almohad and Ifriqiyan traditions, it was later influenced further by Mamluk architecture of Egypt and Syria and it increasingly deviated from the style of Moorish architecture in al-Andalus and the western Maghreb. After Hafsid rule ended, the trends of this architectural style continued to develop and characterize Tunisian architecture during the following Ottoman period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aghlabid architecture</span> Period of architecture in North Africa

Aghlabid architecture dates to the rule of the Aghlabid dynasty in Ifriqiya during the 9th century and the beginning of the 10th century. The dynasty ruled nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliphs, with which they shared many political and cultural connections. Their architecture was heavily influenced by older antique architecture in the region as well as by contemporary Abbasid architecture in the east. The Aghlabid period is also distinguished by a relatively large number of monuments that have survived to the present day, a situation unusual for early Islamic architecture. One of the most important monuments of this period, the Great Mosque of Kairouan, was a model for mosque architecture in the region. It features one of the oldest minarets and contains one of the oldest surviving mihrabs in Islamic architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zawiya of Sidi Sahib</span> Religious monument in Kairouan, Tunisia

The Zawiya of Sidi Sahib, also known as the Zawiya of Abu al-Balawi or Mosque of the Barber, is a zawiya in Kairouan, Tunisia. Its origins date to the early era of the city's history, but the current complex largely dates to a major renovation and expansion in the 17th century. It is one of the most important religious sites in the city.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bloom, Jonathan M. (2020). Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800. Yale University Press. ISBN   9780300218701.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Degeorge, Gérard; Porter, Yves (2001). The Art of the Islamic Tile. Translated by Radzinowicz, David. Flammarion. ISBN   208010876X.
  3. Binous, Jamila; Baklouti, Naceur; Ben Tanfous, Aziza; Bouteraa, Kadri; Rammah, Mourad; Zouari, Ali (2002). Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia (2nd ed.). Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF. ISBN   9783902782199.
  4. M. Bloom, Jonathan; S. Blair, Sheila, eds. (2009). "Ceramics". The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN   9780195309911.
  5. Jones, Dalu (1978). Qallaline Tile Panels: Tile Pictures in North Africa. Jones. ISBN   978-0-906468-01-2.
  6. Alvarez Dopico, Clara Ilham (2010). "Qallaline: Mosquée Muhammad abu ad-Dhahab". qallaline.huma-num.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  7. "Restoration of Tarbana mosque Alexandria | The Arab Contractors". www.arabcont.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  8. Álvarez Dopico, Clara Ilham (2010). "Qallaline : Search : Ibrāhīm Tarbāna". qallaline.huma-num.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  9. Álvarez Dopico, Clara Ilham (2010). "Qallaline: Mosquée Salah Agha Duqmasis". qallaline.huma-num.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  10. Álvarez Dopico, Clara Ilham (2018-10-15). "Une nouvelle tradition : la céramique algéroise à l'aube du xxe siècle". ABE Journal. Architecture Beyond Europe (in French) (13). doi: 10.4000/abe.4333 . ISSN   2275-6639.