In the Tower of Babel: Beyond symmetry in islamic design

AbstractA personal account of an interdisciplinary inquiry into the study of Islamic geometric design and architectural decoration touching on the fields of History, History of Science, Scientific Theory of Symmetry and History of Art. The study stresses the necessity of the use of a common scientific language of Symmetry Notation in order to discuss and communicate in a precise manner about Islamic geometric pattern. To understand Islamic geometric design, it is necessary to move beyond the symmetry issues, to the step-by-step process of design. This is based on primary sources of scientific manuscripts of practical geometry written specifically for the Muslim artisans. The research demonstrates not only a direct meeting but a collaborative work between science and art in Islamic civilization