15 - Religious Architecture of the Timurids

Timur: (1370-1405) A Mongol chieftain, Timur started from Transoxania to build a world empire. He conquered Khurasan, Iran, Iraq, and parts of Syria and Anatolia. He massacred whole populations, but saved the craftsmen whom he sent to his capital Samarqand to embellish it. His was the last empire initiated by the steppe people.

Tile Decoration:

Banna'i Technique: meaning the builder's technique, it consists of revetment of glazed bricks set within unglazed ones to form geometric patterns.

Haftrangi (Cuerda Seca): a technique that permits the creation of multi-colored patterns on the same tile before firing without letting the colors run together.

Mosaic-faience: reached its apex in the 14th century, it is a patterned arrangement of closely fitted small pieces of tiles which have surface glaze of different colors.