The ultimate sourcebook and practical guide to Islamic geometric patterns, now updated with seven new compositions

With the aid of this book, everyone can learn how to create their own dazzling geometric patterns or re-create classic examples. All one needs is a pencil, a ruler, a compass – and a steady hand. Technical tips demonstrate the basics: how to draw a square, hexagon or pentagon. This is followed by some of the best examples of geometric patterns from around the world, from key buildings and artworks including La Mezquita (Spain), Cappella Palatina (Italy), the Umayyad Mosque (Syria) and the Shah Jahan Mosque (Pakistan). Arranged into levels of complexity, these are accompanied with carefully explained, step-by-step instructions.

Contents List:

Introduction • 1. The Basics • 2. Step-by-Step Construction: The Great Mosque of Cordoba; The Great Mosque of Kairouan; Mosque of Ibn Tulun; Esrefoglu Mosque; Capella Palatina; Ak Medrese; The ‘Abd al-Samad Complex; The Umayyad Mosque; The Great Mosque of Herat; Chella necropolis; The Alhambra; East Tower of Kharraqan; Shah Jahan Mosque; Al-Fahidi historical district; Mustansariyya Madrasa; Ben Yusuf Madrasa; Tomb of Itimad ud-Daula; The Alcazar; Mamluk Koran; Tomb of Bibi Jawindi; Qarawiyyin Mosque; Moulay Ishmael; Darwish Pasha Mosque • Further reading

About the Author

Eric Broug runs Broug Ateliers for Islamic Architecture, Arts and Crafts. He is also the author of Islamic Design Workbook and Islamic Geometric Design, both published by Thames & Hudson.

Revised and expanded edition

The beauty of Islamic geometric designs, and the breathtaking skill of the craftsmen who created them, are admired the world over. The intricacy and artistry of the patterns can seem almost beyond the powers of human ingenuity.

In this handsomely illustrated volume, artist and teacher Eric Broug analyses and explains 
these complex designs for the first time in their historical and physical context. His own original drawings accompany magnificent photographs of mosques, madrasas, palaces and tombs from the Islamic world, ranging from North Africa to Iran and Uzbekistan, and from the 8th to the 19th centuries.

The creators of these patterns were usually anonymous and there is little evidence for their working practices, but a close and detailed study of the designs can tell us much. Combining wide-ranging empirical research with his own artistic skills and sensibility, Eric Broug shows how, over the centuries, craftsmen were able to adorn beautiful buildings with wonderful geometric patterns using the simplest of tools and without recourse to mathematical calculations. Design elements created from straight lines and circles were placed in grids and then repeated and varied to generate seemingly limitless arrays of dazzling patterns.

Chapters are devoted to each of the main ‘families’ of geometric design – fourfold, fivefold and sixfold – and to the complex ‘combined’ patterns. Every design is carefully explained, and illustrated with a wealth of stunning photographs and clear, meticulously detailed drawings.

Readers can follow the design processes by which these patterns were created and even 
learn to reproduce and invent geometric patterns for themselves, using exactly the same tools as the Islamic craftsmen of old: a ruler and a pair 
of compasses.

About the Author:

Eric Broug received his Masters Degree in History of Islamic Art and Architecture from London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. He now runs Broug Ateliers Ltd, a design and educational company specializing in Islamic geometric design. He is the author of Islamic Geometric Patterns.

A richly informative and visually packed sourcebook demonstrating and explaining the function and worldwide appeal of Islamic architecture

Islamic architecture dates back 1,400 years and continues to reinvent itself up to the present day. The enormous richness of building types, regional styles, and architectural details is revealed here by a well-travelled expert guide, exploring the familiar and unfamiliar, striking a balance between famous masterpieces and unknown gems.

All eras and global regions are represented, with a selective eye for some of the creative exuberance, boldness and sensitivity of Islamic architecture that has not always been widely appreciated outside of the region. Close-ups of architectural details not only describe style and function but also show the hand of the craftsman, making this reference work both useful and beautiful.

Here is a wealth of information about the historical and cultural context of buildings around the world, a chance to encounter the widest Islamic community, and the deeper pleasure of immersing ourselves in the beauty of Islamic architecture.

Contents List:

Introduction
1. Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf Region
2. Iraq, Iran and South Asia
3. Turkey and Central Asia
4. Africa
5. Asia Pacific
6. Europe and the Americas

About the Author:

Eric Broug is an educator and artist who has followed his passion for Islamic geometric design for over 25 years. He holds a Master’s degree in the History of Islamic art and architecture from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. As well as leading workshops and giving lectures around the world, Eric Broug runs his own school of Islamic geometric design and is involved as a consultant in various educational and design projects in the Middle East and beyond. His previous titles for Thames & Hudson include Islamic Geometric Patterns (2008), Islamic Geometric Design (2013) and Islamic Design Workbook (2016).

An intricate tracing book, source book and colouring book to help you create a wide range of Islamic patterns

The exquisite geometric patterns that adorn buildings inside and out across the Islamic world all have an underlying geometry, ranging from the serenely simple to the extraordinarily complex. Presented here are 48 Islamic patterns, from locations such as Samarkand, Delhi, Fez, Isfahan and Cairo, and 48 loose-leaf sheets, each lightly printed with the geometry of the corresponding featured design.

Creative, inventive and fun, this book will give you the skills needed to produce a wide range of Islamic patterns of varying complexity, and then to complete them in colours of your own choice.

About the Author:

Eric Broug runs Broug Ateliers for Islamic Architecture, Arts and Crafts. He is also the author of Islamic Geometric Patterns and Islamic Geometric Design, both published by Thames & Hudson.

An intricate tracing book, source book and colouring book to help you create a wide range of Islamic patterns

The exquisite geometric patterns that adorn buildings inside and out across the Islamic world all have an underlying geometry, ranging from the serenely simple to the extraordinarily complex. Presented here are 48 Islamic patterns, from locations such as Samarkand, Delhi, Fez, Isfahan and Cairo, and 48 loose-leaf sheets, each lightly printed with the geometry of the corresponding featured design.

Creative, inventive and fun, this book will give you the skills needed to produce a wide range of Islamic patterns of varying complexity, and then to complete them in colours of your own choice.

About the Author:

Eric Broug runs Broug Ateliers for Islamic Architecture, Arts and Crafts. He is also the author of Islamic Geometric Patterns and Islamic Geometric Design, both published by Thames & Hudson.