Dome of the Rock Tile Workshop

Join to learn about this Dome of the Rock tile design and create your own ceramic coaster to take home. This workshop is being delivered as part of the ‘Balsall Heath Second Saturdays’ programme – a monthly mini-festival celebrating making, creativity, community, local culture and the arts, held on the second Saturday of every month.

This workshop is inspired by the ceramic tiles that decorate the Dome of Rock, or Qubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra, in Jerusalem, Palestine (occupied Palestinian territories). Painted in an underglaze of cobalt blue on a white tile, this floral design can be tesselated to create a never-ending pattern. During this workshop, you will study one of the tile patterns that adorn this building, which is currently housed at the British Museum and in the teaching collection of the MIAH Foundation Islamic Arts Gallery. You will recreate this design on a ceramic tile that can then be taken home to be displayed or used as a coaster. Please note: this workshop focusses on the design of the tile. Due to the length of the workshop, the design will be painted using acrylic paints and not underglaze.

History of the Dome of the Rock

Built between 685 and 691/2 under the Umayyad caliph, ‘Abd al-Malik, the Dome of the Rock is one of the earliest examples of Islamic architecture. At the centre of the Dome of the Rock is a large rock, believed to be the location where the Prophet Ibrahim was prepared to sacrifice his son, Isma’il. The Rock also commemorates the night journey of the Prohet Muhammad ﷺ, from where he ascended to heaven with the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel).

The tile design that this workshop focusses on first appeared in the mid-16th century, after the Ottoman sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent, commissioned renovations of the Dome of the Rock. Soon after, these type of Iznik tiles could be found in various types of building in Syria and Palestine.

To secure your place, please book in advance. We will allow a small number of walk-up bookings on the day, subject to availability, if they arrive at the start time.

Thanks to the Barakat Trust and the Heritage Fund, this workshop has been partially subsidised to ensure accessibility. We are not charging a specific amount for this event, however, we ask that you ‘pay what you feel‘. If you are able to, we suggest a donation of £8 or more towards materials and costs.

Who is this course for? All levels of ability are welcome. Suitable for ages 9-99+ years. All materials are provided.