Islamic Patterns, Annotated Bibliography
Ralph Abraham, February, 2007


  • Abas, Syed jan, and Amer Shaker Salman. Symmetries of Islamic Geometrical Patterns.
    Singapore: World Scientific, 1995. [RA]
    Notes: Unique source for the mathematics behind the patterns.
    Examples from Cordoba (pp. 92, 97, 102), Seville (pp. 93, 106), and Grenada (pp. 94, 103).
    Excellent Bibliography.

  • Bourgoin, J. Arabic Geometrical Pattern and Design. Mineola, NY: Dover, 1879/1973. [RA]
    Notes: 190 plates, monochrome line drawings.
    The first complete catalogue of Islamic patterns.

  • Bourgoin, J. Islamic Patterns. Mineola, NY: Dover, 1879/1986. [RA]
    Notes: 45 plates extracted from the 1879 text.

  • Castera, Jan-Marc, photos by Francoise Peuriot and Philippe Ploquin.
    Arabesques: Art Decoratif de Maroc. Courbevoie: ACR, 1996. [LC]
    Notes: $125 !!! cf p. 315 for a chapter on Muqarnas in Marocco.

  • Critchlow, Keith. Islamic Patterns, an Analytical and Cosmological Approach.
    New York, NY: Schoken Books, 1976. [UCSC N6260 C7]
    Notes: Among the first to analyse the patterns.
    Includes detailed contructions of some patterns.

  • d'Avennes, Prisse. Arabic Art in Color. Mineola, NY: Dover, 1877/1978.
    Notes: 141 designs and motifs on 50 plates
    Historic early example of color lithography.

  • d'Avennes, Prisse. The Decorative Art of Arabia. London: Studio Design, 1989. [LC]
    Notes: 105 plates
    Historic early example of color lithography.

  • El-Said, Issam, and A. Parman. Geometric Conceps in Islamic Art.
    London: World of Islam, 1976. [LC]
    Notes: Big book.

  • El-Said, Issam. Islamic Art and Architecture: The System of Geometric Design. Reading, UK: Garnet, 1983.
    Notes: More detailed constructions.

  • Grunbaum, Branko, and G.C. Shephard. Tilings and Patterns. [LC]
    New York, NY: W.H. Freeman, 1987.
    Notes: The math.

  • Mirow, Gregory. Arabic Designs. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2006.
    Notes: CD-ROM and Book. A few patterns in color.

  • Schattschneider, Doris, N. Islamic Designs in Color. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman, 1990.

  • Simikoff, N. Islamic Designs in Color. Mineola, NY: Dover, 1883, 1993.
    Notes: 162 illustrations. Nice examples in color.

  • Washburn, Dorothy K., and Donald W. Crowe.
    Symmetries of Culture: The Theory and Practice of Plane Pattern Analysis.

  • Library code: RA = RAlph Abraham, LC = Larry Cuba, UCSC = UC Library.
    Rev. 12 February 2007 by Ralph