CraftCity Tours Morocco
Craft and architecture guide
Photograph: JasmineartGallery, CC0
How zellige is cut and set by hand, the patterns and colours, where to see the finest work, and how to buy and ship it.
Overview
Zellige (also spelled zellij) is Moroccan hand-cut mosaic. Glazed terracotta squares are chipped by hand into small geometric pieces, which are assembled face-down into patterns of eight-point stars, larger rosettes and interlocking lattices, then set in plaster.
Fes is the craft’s best-known centre. Zellige covers the walls, floors and fountains of Morocco’s madrasas, mosques, palaces and riads, and it is now used in homes far from Morocco for its handmade texture. Because every piece is glazed, fired and cut by hand, no two installations come out exactly alike.
Background
Zellige patterns come from the preference in Islamic religious art for abstract ornament over figurative images. They are built on symmetry, tessellation and the division of the circle.
The more complex style spread in the first half of the 14th century. Under the Marinid dynasty, the madrasas of Fes, among them Bou Inania, Al-Attarine and the Seffarine, were lined with zellige dadoes beneath carved stucco and cedar.
The craft never stopped. When the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca was built between 1986 and 1993, its zellige was made with the same hand methods on a monumental scale.
How it is made
Every piece is made by hand, from raw clay to finished panel, over several weeks.
Clay from the Fes region is soaked in water and kneaded, often by foot, to remove air and impurities. Different clay sources fire to slightly different base colours.
The clay is pressed into square moulds and the tiles are left to dry on racks until they are firm enough to glaze.
Each tile is glazed on one face with an enamel coloured by mineral oxides: cobalt for blue, copper for green. The back stays rough so the plaster grips it.
The glazed tiles are fired in a kiln, which vitrifies the glaze into a glossy, water-resistant surface. Small changes in heat change the shade, which is why hand-fired batches vary.
The most skilled step. A cutter chips each fired square into precise shapes with a sharp hammer (menqach). Every piece has to be exact for the pattern to fit together.
The cut pieces are laid face-down on a flat bed, following a drawn pattern or one the craftsman knows by heart, with tiny gaps between them.
Plaster or mortar is poured over the backs of the pieces to lock them into a single panel. Once it has set, the panel is turned over, cleaned and mounted on a wall or floor.
Patterns
Moroccan zellige has many traditional patterns, each built on symmetry and tessellation. Three families cover most of what you will see.
Colour
Each colour comes from a mineral oxide in the glaze.
Where to see it
Five places that show the craft from the Marinid madrasas to the 20th century.
Fes · 1350s, Marinid
Zellige lines the base of the courtyard walls, rising to carved stucco and then carved cedar above. It is one of the finest examples of Marinid zellige and calligraphy in tile; the photograph at the top of this page was taken here.
Fes · 1320s, Marinid
A small theological college off the main souk, with some of the most refined zellige in Morocco around its courtyard and fountain. The cutting is exceptionally fine.
Marrakech · 19th century
Zellige floors and dados run through the palace’s courtyards and reception rooms. The patterns show the craft in the 19th century, with bolder colour combinations and larger designs than the medieval work.
Casablanca · 1986–1993
Traditional hand techniques used on a monumental scale, on floors, walls, columns and fountains.
VisitingNon-Muslim visitors enter on a guided tour.
Fes · Place des Alaouites
Brass doors framed by large zellige panels in green and blue. They are among the most photographed tilework in Morocco.
VisitingThe palace is closed to the public; the gates are free to see from the square.
Entry fees change; check the current price at the door.
Where to buy
For a small panel or a whole kitchen, buy as close to the cutters as you can.
Fes
The artisan quarter of Ain Nokbi, outside the medina walls, has a large concentration of workshops, among them Art Naji. You can watch tiles being cut and patterns assembled, buy direct, and order custom patterns. Some workshops handle export.
TipGo in the morning to see the craftsmen at work, and ask to see sample panels of different complexity before you commit.
Marrakech
Showrooms in Marrakech sell zellige, much of it made in Fes. Expect higher prices than buying direct in Fes. Several firms in the Sidi Ghanem industrial district sell for export.
TipSidi Ghanem suits buyers who need export packing; the medina shops suit small decorative panels.
The north
Tetouan has its own zellige tradition with a strong Andalusian influence, and its work is often finer and more delicate in pattern.
Abroad
Dealers in Europe and North America sell Moroccan zellige with shipping and customs included, at higher prices than in Morocco.
TipOrder samples first. Hand-glazed colours rarely look the same on screen.
Costs
We do not print price lists we cannot confirm. These are the things that move the price.
A single-colour field is the cheapest. Two-colour lattices cost more, and many-pointed stars and rosettes cost the most, because each needs more pieces and finer cutting.
Each extra colour means another glaze and another batch to match.
Pre-assembled panels on a plaster backing cost more than loose tiles but are easier to install and ship.
Buying direct from a workshop in Fes is usually cheaper than a showroom in Marrakech or a dealer abroad.
Ask whether a larger order lowers the rate, and get crating and freight priced separately.
Shipping
Many buyers order in Morocco for projects at home.
Before buying in quantity for export, confirm that the workshop has shipped abroad before. Ask to see how it packs and for references from past international buyers.
Buying
Modern design
Once mostly seen in palaces and mosques, zellige is now widely used in homes.
Designers choose zellige for its handmade irregularity: slight colour variations and an uneven surface that catches the light differently through the day. The usual applications are kitchen splashbacks, bathroom and shower walls, where the fired glaze resists water, and fireplace surrounds, feature walls and entrance floors.
Questions
Zellige (also spelled zellij) is Moroccan hand-cut mosaic. Small pieces are cut by hand from larger glazed terracotta squares, then assembled face-down into geometric patterns and set in plaster. Fes is the best-known centre of the craft, and zellige covers the walls and floors of Morocco’s madrasas, mosques, palaces, fountains and riads.
Price depends on the pattern, the number of colours, how fine the cutting is, the size of the order and whether you buy from a workshop or a showroom. We do not quote figures we cannot confirm. Get a written quote from more than one workshop, with the pattern, colours, quantity and delivery date.
Yes. Many workshops in Fes and Marrakech pack and ship abroad, but not all of them. Tiles are heavy, so the cost depends on weight, method and destination. Confirm that the workshop has exported before, ask how it crates the order, and order extra tiles to allow for breakage and cutting during installation.
In Fes, the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas hold some of the finest Marinid zellige, and the gates of the Royal Palace can be seen from Place des Alaouites. In Marrakech, see the Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Madrasa. In Casablanca, the Hassan II Mosque shows the craft at monumental scale.
Several weeks from clay to finished panel. The clay is prepared and shaped, the tiles dry and are glazed and fired, and then each piece is cut by hand and the pattern assembled. Ask your workshop for a lead time in writing, since it depends on the pattern and the size of the order.
Roman and Byzantine mosaics use small, roughly uniform squares (tesserae). Zellige uses hand-cut geometric shapes that fit together into a repeating pattern. Each piece is cut from a larger glazed square with a sharp hammer, the pieces are laid face-down, and plaster is poured over the back. The hand-glazed, hand-cut surface is slightly uneven, which gives zellige its texture.
Workshops in Fes, such as those in the Ain Nokbi artisan quarter, let visitors watch the cutting and assembly, and some will let you try cutting a piece. Ask the workshop, your guide or your riad what is available before you go.
Yes. Zellige is widely used for kitchen splashbacks, bathroom and shower walls, fireplace surrounds and feature walls. Single-colour zellige gives a handmade texture without a pattern. Hand-glazed tiles vary in colour from piece to piece, so order samples and mix tiles from several boxes when installing.
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