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Playable heritage game

Zellij tile mosaic

Also known as Zellij · Zellige (Arabic)

Zellij is Moroccan mosaic tilework: craftspeople glaze small clay squares, chip them by hand into stars, hexagons and slivers, and fit the pieces together into dazzling geometric panels for fountains, floors and walls.

Play the previewAbout this tradition
Zellij tile mosaic: photograph by Samira hiba
Photo: Samira hiba, CC BY 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Zellij tile mosaic: the game in attract modeLive previewPlay

Runs in your browser, works offline once loaded.

How to play

  1. Choose a glaze colour and a tile shape from the strip under the panel.
  2. Tap a square to lay the tile: the same tile appears on the matching squares all round the panel.
  3. Copy the small design above the panel, then press Check.
Rules at a glance
  • The panel is symmetric in four directions and across both diagonals, as tile panels are.
  • A square counts only when its tile shape and its glaze colour both match the design.
  • Three stars need a nearly perfect copy; you can undo or clear as often as you like.

About the tradition

Zellij has been made in the workshops of Fez and other Moroccan cities for centuries, and the craft is still handed from master to apprentice. Its stars and polygons also decorate courtyards across the western Mediterranean.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Mediterranean.

Credits

Sources

Get the app

Zellij tile mosaic is one of 8 craft designs in the Craft Designs of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 8 craft designs in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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