A richly informative and visually packed sourcebook demonstrating and explaining the function and worldwide appeal of Islamic architecture. Islamic architecture dates back 1,400 years and continues to reinvent itself up to the present day. The enormous richness of building types, regional styles, and architectural details is revealed here by a well-travelled expert guide, exploring the familiar and unfamiliar, striking a balance between famous masterpieces and unknown gems. All eras and global regions are represented, with a selective eye for some of the creative exuberance, boldness and sensitivity of Islamic architecture that has not always been widely appreciated outside of the region. Close-ups of architectural details not only describe style and function but also show the hand of the craftsman, making this reference work both useful and beautiful. Here is a wealth of information about the historical and cultural context of buildings around the world, a chance to encounter the widest Islamic community, and the deeper pleasure of immersing ourselves in the beauty of Islamic architecture.

Geometric patterns are perhaps the most recognizable visual expressions of Islamic art and architecture, magnificent in their beauty and awe-inspiring in their execution. Now, with the aid of this book, anyone can learn how to master this ancient art and create intricate patterns or re-create classic examples. An introduction guides the reader through the basics, and is followed by some of the best examples of geometric patterns from around the world, arranged into three levels of complexity, with careful, step-by-step instructions taking the reader through the stages of composition.

Islamic geometric designs are admired worldwide for their beauty and marvellous intricacy, yet in truth they are seldom understood. Indeed, their complexity and artistry can seem almost beyond the powers of human ingenuity. In this handsomely illustrated volume, artist and teacher Eric Broug analyses and explains these complex designs in their historical and physical context. His own original drawings accompany magnificent photographs of mosques, madrasas, palaces and tombs from the Islamic world, ranging from North Africa to Iran and Uzbekistan, and from the 8th to the 19th centuries. Chapters are devoted to each of the main 'families' of geometric design - fourfold, fivefold and sixfold - and to the complex 'combined' patterns. Every design is carefully explained, and illustrated with a wealth of stunning photographs and clear, meticulously detailed drawings. Readers can follow the design processes by which these patterns were created and even learn to reproduce and invent geometric patterns for themselves, using exactly the same tools as the Islamic craftsmen of old: a ruler and a pair of compasses.

Since its invention in c.100 BC, paper has been a cornerstone of civilization and a key component of the human experience. Artist Matthew Shlian has always recognized paper's significance as a material for experimentation and understanding. In his hands, engineering, science and geometry can all be expressed within the medium of paper. Folded, tessellated, compressed, extrapolated - two-dimensional paper becomes three-dimensional sculpture in beautiful and unexpected ways. Unfolding is a complete overview of Shlian's oeuvre over the past ten years, including small- and large-scale works, unseen development sketchbooks, collaborations with scientific researchers and scientists, three-dimension reliefs and sculpture - all in paper. Printed in full colour on two paper stocks, the book features an introduction by Diana Gaston, an interview between Stuart Kestenbaum and the artist, and essays by acclaimed writer Lawrence Weschler and Islamic design scholar Eric Broug. In keeping with the geometric underpinning of Shlian's work, the dimensions of the book are '16 cubed': 16cm squared by 16cm squared by 16 signatures of 16 pages. Unfolding is a journey into the new possibilities of folding technology, the intricate complexities of Islamic patterns, and the sheer potential offered by a simple sheet of paper. With 200 illustrations, 150 in colour

In this inventive interpretation of the popular colouring book concept, Islamic design expert Eric Broug helps readers to create their own patterns, based on compositions from across the Islamic world. The book opens up the world of intricate Islamic patterns, allowing artists, designers and doodlers alike to learn about these works of art as they produce their own. With 48 Islamic geometric compositions from around the world to choose from, artists at all skill levels will relish the myriad opportunities to replicate these intricate patterns or create their own. The workbook's clever design invites the pattern-maker to consider a composition in the book, take a corresponding loose leaf from the back of the book and figure out which sections of lines to trace to make the composition. Readers will have the unique satisfaction of making patterns appear where previously none were visible. Compositions - including a mix of more familiar geometric compositions and those that have scarcely been documented - are categorized by region and have various levels of complexity, making it possible for beginners to get started and artists or designers to develop their skills.