Islamic Pottery

The era of Islamic pottery started around 622. From 633, Muslim armies moved rapidly towards Persia, Byzantium, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt and later Andalusia. The early history of Islamic pottery remains somewhat obscure and speculative as little evidence has survived. Apart from tiles which escaped destruction due to their use in architectural decoration of buildings and mosques, much early medieval pottery vanished. It seems clear that Muslims inherited the pottery craft from Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, China and other cultural regions. For example, the origin of glazed pottery has been traced to Egypt where it was first introduced during the fourth millennium BCE. From there it reached most parts of the near east, including Iran and Mesopotamia, in the form of alkaline glazed pottery. The history of Islamic Ceramics can be divided into three periods: Early Medieval (622-1200) Middle Medieval (1200-1400) Late/Post-medieval (1400-onward)