Moroccan Zellige or Mosaic Tile Design: How to make a Mosaic tile table.

Morocco: From around the 13th century, a new art form grew in popularity in Morocco - the making of mosaics from polychrome cut tiles called Zellige. It started in Fez, with artisans decorating the walls of mosques and the private villas of the wealthier classes. The practice then spread throughout Moorish Spain.

The highest quality of beauty, geometric symmetry and aesthetics is reflected in the art of Zellije. 

The Zellije is an expression of detailed  parts of earthenware scientifically  organized, given a variety of infinite drawings, that give an exuberant richness to the walls they cover, from the ornamental tiling of mosques to palaces and beautiful residences. stunning geometric designs of mosaic tiles called zellige adorn floors and walls of Moroccan courtyards, houses and fountains, and create a decorative surface like no other.

The motifs used in the zellige  are complex and abstract, and use traditional patterns which usually involve geometrical interlacing radiating from a central star. The techniques of the craftsmen are ancient, passed down and perfected from generation to generation. 

Cut ceramic tiles are laid in complex patterns on a board in reverse before being applied to the wall or floor.
Zellige is a painstaking and expensive art form which relies on skill, teamwork and imagination. It is still a point of national pride which is as relevant to modern Morocco today as it ever was in the past.

Zellije is the most typical Moroccan form of Art. It requires the well-assimilated technique of the enameled terracotta and fits in the palaces and monuments' architecture as a precious stone that enhances a jewel. It is not a mosaic but humble little parts of earthenware so well organized that they give, thanks to the diversity of their shades and forms, an exuberant richness to the walls they cover, to the friezes and bases they make up, to the ornamental tiling of mosques, palaces and beautiful residences.
 Morocco has been profoundly marked by the Andalusian civilization. The architecture still draws on the Hispano-Moresque of Almoravians and Merinidiens times.

The rich mixture of various colors and shapes make zellije particularly suitable where a strong design element is required, or can be combined with other lighter stones and types i.e. excised zellije to create a more intricate effect, offering a wide range of design possibilities.
Hence, certain small central rosaces are composed of some one hundred fifty minuscule pieces. By contrast to the meticulousness of these motifs, we could mention an exceptional realization of giant zellije panels.

Zellije can not be manufactured because the combinations of the fine humble parts of earthenware give a variety of infinite drawings. Probably, the greatest single virtue of zellije is its hardwearing nature. It accommodates any size, any shape and any time.