Fajalauza Lebrillos & Islamic Art

Though the art of pottery-making in Granada can be traced back to the beginning of the Moorish period, which began in the 8th century when Muslims first arrived in Spain, Fajalauza marks the beginning of a watershed moment in Spanish society: the end of the Nasrid empire and the beginning of unification of the Catholic kingdom. 

The conquest of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada in 1492 by the Catholic monarchs transformed all aspects of the city's life, including ceramics.

Before this political and social overhaul known as the Reconquista, Nasrid ceramic design adhered to the traditional rubric. 

Geometric motifs were and remain a fundamental aspect of Islamic art and have been used extensively in architecture, ceramics, textiles, and other forms of Islamic artistic expression. Circles, squares, and polygons, and are often combined to create intricate and complex patterns.

The use of geometric motifs in Islamic art has both religious and cultural significance. In Islamic tradition, the use of representational art is discouraged. Instead, Islamic ornamentation relies on four primary elements: calligraphy, vegetal designs, geometric patterns, and figurative representation. This rubric has led to the development of abstract and geometric patterns as a means of artistic expression. These patterns are often used to decorate mosques and other religious buildings, as well as to adorn objects used in religious ceremonies.

Today we can still examples of these stylized vegetal forms in the walls of the Alhambra.

In addition to their religious significance, geometric motifs in Islamic art also have cultural and aesthetic importance. They are often used to create a sense of order and harmony.

Geometric patterns reflect the importance of mathematics in Islamic culture, which has been described as a "culture of geometry."

After the Reconquista, the strict geometric forms of the Nasrid period gave way to experimentation and more fluid popular motifs. Floral and bird patterns won out over calligraphy and mathematically precise grids.

Still, the Islamic influence in Fajalauza persisted, partly because the majority of artisanal productions remained in the hands of the moriscos, Muslims who converted to Christianity. 

Even today, Fajalauza remains a faithful testament to the enduring influence of Islamic art and culture in Spain.

The Islamic influence that persists in Spanish culture goes beyond Fajalauza. According to the Alhambra and Generalife foundation, scholars say 8% of the Spanish vocabulary comes from Arabic, which means about nine hundred terms that, along with their corresponding derivatives, may yield 4000 words.