This June 2026, we are off to a virtual visit to Essaouira in Morocco!
This course will examine traditional Moroccan geometric motifs of the ceramic tile spandrels of Essaouira's doors. The course will shed light on three different patterns: Mtemen (8-Fold), Tnashri ( 12-Fold) and Stashri (16-Fold) as evidenced in historical Moroccan doors.
The study will focus the compositional frameworks of ceramic tile spandrels of Essaouira while analysing their structural logic and aesthetic principles. In addition to interpretive analysis, the course will introduce the technical processes underlying their construction, with specific attention to the traditional Moroccan artisanal Qasma method as a guiding framework for pattern tracing and execution.
Through this combined analytical and practical approach, participants will gain a deeper understanding of both the symbolic significance and the geometric sophistication of Moroccan ceramic tile spandrels.
The course is intended for artists, designers, architects, and scholars of geometry seeking a rigorous, historically grounded approach to Islamic geometric pattern.
**Required Tools:**
- Professional Drawing Compass with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil
- Divider (essential for precision)
- 0.7mm Mechanical Pencil for line drawing
- Metal Rulers (30 cm & 50 cm)
- A3 Sheets of Drawing Paper
- Eraser
**About the Instructor:**
Hamza El Fasiki trained as an apprentice under his father since 2011 at the Dar-Attamania Studio in Fes, Morocco, where he earned an Ijazah in the art of at-Tastir and a guild-recognition in the crafts of metal engravings and leather bookbinding. He also holds an MA degree in Moroccan Cultural Studies from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fes, where his academic work centered on the cultural history of traditional Moroccan crafts. Hamza is an Andalusian oud musician and a published author. His recent publication includes a book chapter titled "Sacred Space: Geometric Patterns in Moroccan Art," featured in the anthology *Perspective: Selected Essays on Space in Art and Design* (2023).
