Arabesque Geometric Decorative Art

Timeline

1. 700–900Damascus · SyriaGeometric motifs such as stars, crosses, and interlaced bands began to appear in Umayyad and Abbasid mosques and palaces, absorbing Byzantine and Sasanian decorative traditions and tending toward abstraction.
2. c. 1071–1080Isfahan · IranIn Seljuk-period architecture in Persia and Mesopotamia, geometric tilings and muqarnas dome decoration became systematized, with craftsmen using compass-and-ruler drawing methods to generate complex star and decagonal mosaic patterns.
3. 1100–1400Córdoba · SpainGeometric decoration spread widely in Al-Andalus and Maghreb architecture and Quran bindings, complementing Kufic calligraphy and establishing a classic paradigm of non-figurative religious art.
4. 1500Istanbul · TurkeyThe Ottoman and Safavid empires developed distinctive geometric tile and glazed decoration, and contemporary Islamic architecture and crafts still continue the compass-and-ruler geometric drawing tradition.