You can find the introduction to this article here:
When he turned his brush to ornamentation, he created paradise a second time
From the article by Elmira Gyul "Ornament — the embodiment of the world and the sky". SANAT, 2005. Issue No. 3-4
Let us remind you that ornaments — are the main decoration and the main attraction of Tashkent for those who appreciate them. To get the most enjoyment from observing them, it is desirable to understand them at least a little, or at the very least, to know what to pay attention to in order to appear as a cool expert in the eyes of your friends.
I would also like to clarify that in addition to its historical, sacred, aesthetic, and cultural meanings, Islamic ornament is amazingly appealing for us (crossed out) lovers of geometry and often makes one gasp in surprise and admiration when examining its finest examples, of which there are many in Uzbekistan and Tashkent. On the one hand, the creators of these ornaments found themselves constrained by the rule that a plane can be tiled only with regular triangles, squares, and hexagons. On the other hand, however, these limitations stimulate the imagination, and so masterpiece after masterpiece has to be created — using star-shaped polygons, irregular figures, and auxiliary elements.
In addition to geometric wonders, there are other features, knowledge of which will greatly enhance your enjoyment of examining ornaments and elevate your authority to the skies among classmates, fellow soldiers, colleagues, and tour participants.
It's convenient when you can study almost all the features of ornaments using a single example — and here we're lucky: it exists. This is the main Tashkent ornament, located in the passage between the “Navoi” and “Pakhtakor” metro stations, — the most fascinating and encyclopedically rich.
Let's get started with the study! There are three features here.
Firstly, you can photograph it without distortion only from the central line of the escalator; from the two sides, it comes out distorted, which turns the hunt for a photo into an entertaining performance.
Secondly, the panel with the ornament is visible only when the escalator is moving, for a few seconds, and this is somewhat similar to a performance in immersive theater.
Thirdly, here, as if by magic, all (almost all) the features that are worth paying attention to when examining ornaments have come together.
Let's go straight down the list.
- Number of vertices in the central star. They are usually 8, 10, or 12; other star-shaped polygons are less common. We will dedicate a separate article to squares, and heptagons are so rare that their appearance also deserves a separate publication. Nine-pointed stars appear occasionally, and special clever constructions are used to make them “fit.” Star-shaped polygons with a larger number of vertices (18 or 24) also exist, but they resemble a hedgehog or a burr, which makes them less attractive: the magic of geometric wonder disappears.
- Star size. The central star, framed by pentagonal stars, fits perfectly into the bounding square. If the star were larger or smaller, the picture would not be as harmonious.
- Connections. At the point where the stars touch (the central dodecagonal star and the surrounding pentagonal stars, as well as the pentagonal stars with each other), the angles are vertical, meaning the lines continue without a break. This creates an additional visual effect: the lines come alive and you want to view them as separate entities.
- Lines. We always pay attention to the width of the lines; it changes depending on the artist’s intention. Sometimes the lines are wide, with a contrasting outline, and when intersecting with other lines, they pass above or below them, which gives the pattern volume. Sometimes there is an ornament with no lines at all—they are implied, but not present. In our pattern, there are lines, they are contrasting but not wide, they define the shapes without “standing out,” and everything looks harmonious.
- Background. It is important, as it determines the overall tone of the ornament: light or dark. In this ornament, the background is white, which is rare and makes it especially festive.
- Color. Most ornaments are turquoise with contrasting dark or white fragments, but recently ornaments in beige shades have started to appear (for example, in the Suzuk-ota complex). In this ornament, green is visible along with a reddish-brown color that may have appeared during firing. The combination of these colors on a white background makes the pattern look festive and elegant.
- Combination of girikh (geometric pattern) and islimi (floral pattern). Here, elements of the floral pattern are used in the geometric ornament to fill empty spaces; both ornaments complement each other well.
- Space filling. Pay attention to the evenness of the filling, there are no empty spots in the background and no cluttering of nodes — this is a skill honed over centuries and passed down from generation to generation, thanks to which the entire pattern looks pleasing and — I’ll say it again — organic. Thanks to the masters!
- Fit. The pattern is so precisely and correctly inscribed within its bounding square that in the corners of the square there are quarters of the central star: if we place an identical square (with the same pattern) to the left, right, top, or bottom of our square, one will be a continuation of the other, and the boundary will be invisible. Moreover, if the square is reflected horizontally or vertically, the ornament can also be continued infinitely with the reflected squares.
A philosophical insert from Rustam Batyr's article is appropriate here:
The frame outlining the girih does not actually define its boundaries, but rather serves as a kind of window that cuts into our world and opens up a perspective of eternity before us. Moreover, this eternity is revealed through the fundamental unity of its many facets.
- Frame. Note that the ornament is often surrounded by a frame with geometric elements (in this case, hexagons) that contrast with the polygons of the main pattern. The width of the frame is such that it always looks beautiful—imagine it wider or narrower, and it would no longer appear as harmonious.
- Distortions. The main secret of this ornament is that it is not a dodecagon!
There are 12 vertices, but the lines do not go from one vertex to another, as you can see by placing a ruler against the photograph. The fact is that the vertices of the dodecagon smoothly, without any breaks, transition into the vertices of the pentagram (the star-shaped pentagon), even though the angles at their vertices are different. For this, the dodecagon is "broken," but since its lines are not solid and are interrupted by the central star, this is not noticeable. What can I say: everything here was invented, calculated, and brought to life by great masters!
There is a certain pattern: every formula or conclusion with numbers reduces the number of readers by a third. So let's try to do without smart words and once again admire the skill of the creators of the ornament in the metro: ceramic artists, folk craftsmen Riskat Mukhamedzhanov and Abdujalil Rakhimov.
The only thing this ornament won't teach us — is the answer to the question: “But what is there between the stars? How is the problem of filling the plane solved?”
Ideally, the space between the "main stars" is filled with convex or star-shaped polygons, and it is in this filling that the artist's skill lies. The more secondary regular stars and regular (or slightly distorted) polygons there are between the "main stars," the higher the class of the ornament. And if it was not possible to fill the space between the main stars with regular stars and polygons, and the craftsmen used auxiliary elements in the form of "birds," "spools," and other figures, then such an ornament is less valuable, less harmonious. After all, nothing prevents one from scattering various skewed polygons across a plane and arranging them—but what does that have to do with the true, divinely precise peaks of Islamic ornament?
Now you are equipped to independently explore ornaments; we will just suggest how to apply the sacred knowledge you have gained.