The art of making Iznik tiles
From that link:
Currently known as Iznik in Turkey, the city of Nicaea (Greek Νίκαια) was founded in 310 BCE by the Macedonian king Antigonus. Lying at the eastern tip of Lake Iznik, south of Izmit, it was originally an important Roman and Byzantine town, which fell to the Seljuks in 1078 and subsequently to the Ottomans in 1331. The city hosted church councils to deal with issues that had brought about turmoil and skirmish in the Byzantine empire, such as the controversy surrounding the impacts of religious sects upon the Byzantine society. As a strategic location, Iznik handed down to us evidence of monumental defensive architecture, however it is nowadays known for its pottery and tiles trade, which keeps flourishing from the 15th century onwards, developing a style having exerted a stark influence on European arts. Handmade ceramics by Ottomans were in great demand, making the history of the” most colorful and decorative pottery ever made”, as put by Sir Harry Garner, a leading example of grandiose human contribution to the arts.
Being the heart of ceramic production for almost 800 years, the Iznik pottery constitutes a very distinctive cultural element of the city, adorning, from the 15th century onwards, imperial buildings and mosques.
(via badassmuslimahs)
