For centuries Islamic art has been misunderstood in the West, often being regarded as pure decoration. However, its abstract patterns have meaning: they affirm religion and the essential unity of all things.

This fascinating scholarly study explains how the geometrical patterns of Islamic art reveal to believers the cosmological laws affecting all Creation. The primary function of these patterns is to lead the mind from the literal world towards an underlying reality.

Numerous drawings show how the art of Islam is inseparable from the science of Pythagorean mathematics. Space-filling patterns are revealed as an essential practical and philosophical basis for the creation of each completed work of art, whether a tile, a carpet, a wallpanel or an entire building.

A practical source of inspiration for artists and designers, Islamic Patterns is also an invaluable study for anyone with an interest in sacred art.