MOORISH ARCHITECTURE: Turkish & Ottoman Tiles
Posted by: kirsty_wilson in Travel General, tags: Architecture, Morocco, Ottoman, Spain, TurkeyA Touch of Turkey in my Bathroom!
I love Moorish and Ottoman architecture. I have travelled extensively across North Africa, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and into the Middle East to marvel at such sights. I could never take enough photos of Moorish buildings with their elegant archways, domes, large wooden doors (I love doors!) and most of all, the beautiful tiles that graced nearly all wall space available – and then onto the ceilings.
Not long ago one of our bathrooms needed a complete renovation from its 1967 ‘purple’ decor. We knocked out a wall and completely opened it up, allowing more light in. I had already decided it was going to be a brighter, cheerier bathroom and decorated with two panels of tiles from Turkey. One has been placed above the tapware of the bath (see photo) and the other set into the wall cavity of the shower to be a useful shelf. I love this new 
space and now, I think of Turkey and my time travelling whenever I enter that bathroom!
What do you have in your home, that reminds you of some wonderful travel destinations you’ve visited? Please leave your comments below…
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The intricacy of Moorish & Ottoman design is exquisite ~
I too love mementos that are beautiful to look at, tactile to touch and have a purpose… great way to keep connected with wonderful places visited
It sounds a lovely touch. For years, I have tried to buy a piece of art/painting or whatever from a street merchant in a favourite city or location and then frame it and hang it in my place on my return. It allows reflections of places past whenever I see them on the walls. It does make for a slightly odd collection but each one has meaning whether it be Europe, Africa, Asia or South America. Somehow it seems a better buy than soem plastic trinket that ends up in a cupboard or in a trash bin some years later.
I do love my Turkish tiles. I have always found buying ’souvenirs’ a very difficult task – I’m not into tacky! I have a Moroccan rug, a lovely antique framed map of Dorset and that’s just about it. I would wander markets, shops and bizaars but would see the same mass produced items and couldn’t bring myself to buy it. The only thing I regret not buying is a beautiful, fine glass perfume bottle from Egypt. I will have to return!!
I’ve many watercolours and pen & ink sketches of places I’ve travelled framed and hung on our walls. Usually I buy them from a local artist or stall in the setting they depict. So for instance the picture of the Firenze Duomo was bought at a tiny shop tucked beside the church and the old etching of Notre Dame was bought from one of the stalls lining the river Seine with that view of the cathedral.
For breakfast I’ll eat eggs from the pretty eggcups bought in Brittany – while the large ceramic dishes were too large and heavy for my backpack, the small eggcups fitted in neatly.
Like Kirsty I have a few regrets too. I rather wish I’d bought/exchanged goods for the bow and arrow from the bushman village in the Kalahari I visited….
I just love this architecture – its so simple yet that’s the beauty of it. The designs for airflow is just super. You’d think we in Australia would embrace this design for that alone.
My best destination yet for this architecture was the El Alhambra near Granada Spain – just awesome.
I’m off to Oman in 2 weeks wonder what I’ll find there!