Few crafts are as closely tied to one country as glazed tile is to Iran. The turquoise domes of Isfahan, the star-and-cross tiles of Kashan and the painted panels of Qajar palaces are recognised worldwide simply as Persian tiles. The craft is still alive: Iran remains one of the world's largest tile producers, and much of that output comes from the same central desert provinces where glazes and kilns have been worked for centuries.
This guide covers where Persian tilework comes from, the techniques and patterns that define it, and how tiles are made in Iran today.
A short history of Persian tiles
Ancient beginnings: glazed brick (13th to 4th century BC)
Glazed decoration in Iran is much older than Islam. At the Elamite ziggurat of Chogha Zanbil, built around 1250 BC near Susa, archaeologists found glazed bricks and knobs used as wall ornament. Some seven centuries later the Achaemenid kings decorated their palace at Susa with moulded, glazed brick friezes, most famously the procession of royal archers now in the Louvre (around 510 BC). These were not tiles in the modern sense, but they established the two ideas that run through all later Persian tilework: colour fused to clay by fire, and architecture used as a surface for ornament.
Kashan and the golden age of lustre (12th to 14th century)
From the 12th century the town of Kashan became the leading tile centre of the Islamic world. Its potters produced lustreware, tiles painted with metallic oxides that fire to a gold or copper sheen, as well as star-shaped and cross-shaped tiles that interlock into continuous wall panels. Kashan's reputation was so strong that the Persian word for tile, kashi, comes from the city's name. Iraqis and many other Arabic and Persian speakers still use it today.
The Timurid era: tile mosaic (15th century)
Under the Timurids, builders perfected moaraq (tile mosaic): single-colour glazed tiles are cut into small shapes and assembled, like a jigsaw, into complex floral and geometric designs. The Goharshad Mosque in Mashhad (1418) and the Blue Mosque of Tabriz (1465) are celebrated examples. Mosaic produces the purest colours and sharpest outlines, but it is slow and expensive work.
The Safavid era: Isfahan and the seven colours (16th to 18th century)
When Shah Abbas I rebuilt Isfahan as his capital, the scale of the work changed. The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (1603 to 1619) is still finished in fine mosaic, but the vast Shah Mosque (begun 1611) is covered largely in haft-rangi ("seven-colour") tiles. In this technique several colours are painted on a single square tile and fired together, which made it possible to clad whole courtyards and domes in a few years. The cobalt blue and turquoise of these buildings, with their yellow, white and green accents, is what most people picture when they hear "Persian tiles".
The Qajar era: pictures in tile (19th century)
Qajar tile makers (1789 to 1925) turned to figurative painting: hunting scenes, portraits, flowers and European-influenced landscapes, often in pinks, yellows and soft greens. The Golestan Palace in Tehran and the Tekyeh Moaven ol-Molk in Kermanshah show how far the style moved from the strict geometry of earlier centuries.
The main techniques
- Glazed brick (banna'i): plain and glazed bricks laid together so the glazed faces form words or patterns across a wall.
- Lustre: metallic oxides painted over a fired glaze and fired again in a reducing kiln, giving a metallic shine.
- Mina'i: overglaze enamel painting in several colours, used on tiles and vessels in 12th and 13th century Kashan.
- Tile mosaic (moaraq): single-colour tiles cut and assembled into a design, the most labour-intensive technique.
- Seven-colour (haft-rangi): several glazes painted onto one tile and fired together, faster and cheaper than mosaic.
Patterns and colours to know
Persian tile designs draw on three main families of ornament, often combined on a single surface:
- Girih: interlacing geometric strapwork built on stars and polygons. It is the basis of most "Islamic tile" patterns.
- Eslimi: the arabesque, a spiralling vine with split leaves that fills borders and domes.
- Khatai: stylised flowers and blossoms, frequently set among eslimi scrolls.
The signature colours have practical roots. Turquoise comes from copper oxide in an alkaline glaze, and the deep blue from cobalt, historically mined near Kashan. White, yellow, green and black complete the classic Safavid palette.
Persian tiles and Islamic tiles: what is the difference?
"Islamic tiles" is a broad term covering tilework across the Islamic world, from Spain and Morocco to Turkey, Central Asia and India. Persian tiles are one of its most influential branches. Iranian craftsmen shaped tile traditions well beyond Iran: Persian tile makers worked in Ottoman Anatolia and Timurid Central Asia, and Persian designs travelled along trade routes into the Indian subcontinent.
Where to see Persian tilework
- Isfahan: Shah (Imam) Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and the Jameh Mosque.
- Shiraz: Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, famous for its Qajar tile and stained glass.
- Mashhad: Goharshad Mosque.
- Tabriz: the Blue Mosque.
- Tehran: Golestan Palace.
- Museums: the Louvre (Susa archers), the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York all hold major collections of Persian tiles.
How tiles are made in Iran today
Hand-cut mosaic and seven-colour tiles are still made by craftsmen for restoration and decorative work, but almost all of the tile now produced in Iran is industrial ceramic and porcelain floor and wall tile. Iran is consistently ranked among the world's largest tile producers, and a large share of its capacity sits in Yazd province, around the cities of Yazd, Ardakan and Meybod. Raw materials such as clay and feldspar are mined nearby, and the region has decades of kiln and glazing experience.
Modern production is very different from the workshops of Kashan:
- Bodies: tiles are pressed from red-body or white-body ceramic clay, or from dense porcelain with water absorption of 0.5% or less (group BIa under ISO 13006).
- Decoration: digital inkjet printers apply the design. This is how today's tiles reproduce natural marble, stone and concrete, as well as traditional Persian patterns, with high precision.
- Formats: sizes run from small wall tiles to large slabs such as 60x120 cm and 100x100 cm, with rectified (precision-cut) edges for narrow joints.
- Finishes: polished, glossy, matt and textured surfaces, chosen according to where the tile is laid.
The tradition shows in different ways. Persian buyers expect strong, even colour; marble-look porcelain is the dominant style in Iranian homes; and patterned decor tiles inspired by historic designs remain popular for kitchens, bathrooms and feature walls.
Buying Persian-made tiles today
If you are looking for authentic historic tiles, you are in the antiques market, and pieces should come with provenance. If you need tiles for a project, contemporary Iranian manufacturers export ceramic and porcelain tiles worldwide. When comparing suppliers, ask for:
- the body type and water absorption of each model, shown on the technical datasheet;
- whether the tiles are rectified, and their thickness;
- samples before a bulk order, to judge colour and finish;
- the export documents provided: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and bill of lading.
Frequently asked questions
Why are Persian tiles blue?
Turquoise and cobalt blue were the colours Persian glazes could produce most reliably and brightly, using copper and cobalt oxides. Blue was also valued for its association with the sky and with water, both precious in Iran's dry landscape.
What does "kashi" mean?
It is the Persian word for tile, taken from the city of Kashan, the medieval centre of Iranian tile making. The word is still used for tile in Persian and in Iraqi Arabic.
Are Persian tiles still made by hand?
Yes, for restoration and decorative commissions, especially in Isfahan. Floor and wall tiles for construction are made industrially, in ceramic and porcelain.
Can Persian patterns be used on floors?
Historic glazed tiles were mostly for walls. Modern porcelain and glazed ceramic floor tiles can carry Persian-style patterns and are rated for foot traffic. Check the abrasion class on the datasheet.
About IRBUILD
IRBUILD is the export arm of Khatam Industrial Group, an ISO 9001 certified ceramic and porcelain tile manufacturer in Ardakan, Yazd, producing since 1998 and exporting to 35 countries. Browse the catalogue by size, design and body, or request a quote for your project.