Qallalin tiles

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

Qallaline tile decoration in the Mosque of the Barber in Kairouan, Tunisia

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]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qallaline tile panels.
  1. Bloom, Jonathan M. (2020). Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300218701.
  2. 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.
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