Zellige and ceramic tileCooperative-ownedDarija

Why the eight-pointed star is the first thing a maâlem learns

Fez, Morocco

Documented by Khalid El Fassi · Maâlems de Fès

Cooperative verified

A cooperative or artisanal ministry has vouched for this artisan. The institution stakes its reputation on the introduction.

The eight-pointed star is not the simplest shape in zellige. It is not the most common. It is the first because it contains the principle that all zellige is built on: the relationship between the square, the circle, and the octagon. Once you can cut the star correctly, every other shape in the tradition follows from the same logic.

In Khalid's words

Cultural context

I started learning zellige when I was fourteen. My first year was spent cutting the same shape — the eight-pointed star — until my teacher was satisfied. He was satisfied after eleven months. That is not a long time in this tradition. Some students spend two years on the star. It is a test, but not of patience. It is a test of your eye. The star has eight points. Each point is an isosceles triangle with a precise angle. If any triangle is cut one degree off, the star will not sit flat against its neighbours. You cannot correct it with adhesive. You cut it again.

How it is done

Technique

1
Fire a clay tablet — a flat slab of prepared clay, about 2 cm thick, glazed on one face. The glaze colour is determined before firing. Once fired, the colour cannot be changed.
2
Score the back of the tablet with a grid using a metal straight edge. The grid determines where each cut will fall.
3
Use a sharp steel hammer (the menqach) to split the tile along each scored line. The cut is made with one precise strike — not sawed or ground.
4
Shape each piece by chipping the edges to the exact angle required. This is done by feel and eye, not by measuring. The maâlem learns the correct angles over years until they are held in the hands.
5
Test each piece against its neighbours before setting. A piece that does not sit flat is recut or discarded.
6
Set the pieces face-down on a flat surface, packed tightly together. Fill the back with cement mortar. When the mortar sets, the panel can be lifted and installed.

What is used and why

Materials

Fired clay tablet
Source: Prepared and fired at the workshop
The clay used in Fez has a particular composition — fine-grained, low-shrinkage — that allows very precise cutting. Imported tiles cut differently and the edges crumble more easily.
Lead oxide glaze (historic) / lead-free contemporary glaze
Source: Workshop-mixed glazes for historical colours; commercial for contemporary work
Historic zellige colours — the deep greens, the turquoise, the ochre — were achieved with metal oxide glazes that included lead. Contemporary work uses lead-free formulations. The colours are slightly different. I note this when it matters to a buyer.

Visual language

What the patterns mean

The eight-pointed star (najma)
Associated with the eight directions of the compass and — in some interpretations — the eight gates of paradise. The star is never used decoratively without being placed correctly within its geometric context: it requires the shapes around it, and they require it.
The cross between the stars (taqsim)
The negative space between stars in a repeating pattern. Often more complex than the star itself — it must resolve geometrically at every corner where four stars meet. A maâlem's ability is judged partly by how cleanly the taqsim sits.

A word in Darija

maâlem

master craftsman

The title is not self-declared. It is given by the community of craftspeople when they judge the work sufficient. I was called maâlem for the first time by my teacher when I was twenty-six. I did not feel ready. He said that was the right answer.

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Ownership

Who owns this knowledge

This entry is owned jointly by Khalid El Fassi and Maâlems de Fès. Anyone can discover it here; the full documentation is read through Amussu Learn, and the artisan and cooperative are paid each time someone does. The cooperative decides what is documented and how.

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The artisan

Khalid El Fassi

Zellige and ceramic tile · Fez

Cooperative verified

A cooperative or artisanal ministry has vouched for this artisan. The institution stakes its reputation on the introduction.

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