Zellij is Moroccan from Fes, Morrocans bring it to Iberia
Azulejo
41–50 of 70 posts
Re: Azulejo
#42I assumed the word was derived from "azul" but from the article, it's apparently derived from the Arabic الزليج (al-zillīj) and has no relation with "azul"
This wikipedia article, the wiktionary entry for Portuguese, and the Spanish wiktionary entry all have different etymologies lmao.
As a Spanish speaker it seems really hard to believe it's not azul + -ejo. They're literally blue.
Re: Azulejo
#43I assumed the word was derived from "azul" but from the article, it's apparently derived from the Arabic الزليج (al-zillīj) and has no relation with "azul"
The arabic word for "azul" is أزرق (azraq) so they all look pretty adjacent.
Azul 100% comes from Arabic (well Persian, but through Arabic), although I think the specific Andalusian form that was borrowed was a bit different from that.
Re: Azulejo
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Portuguese here - many Portuguese words have origin from Arabic as Portugal has been conquered and occupied by "the Moors" in 8th~13th century. That's a long time! Alentejo, Aljezur, Algarve, and many of the cities in the Southern part of the country have have Arabic origins.
So much so that the controversy over the use of “insha’Allah” by non-Muslims was missed by me, Portuguese has “oxalá”, and I could not understand the problem. It’s funny how many words we use in Portuguese and Spanish that have their origin in the Moorish time.
I'm Brazilian and I had never connected "insha'Allah" to "oxalá". Wow, TIL.
At least we were taught in school that if a word starts with "al" then there is a big chance it has roots in Arabic.
Re: Azulejo
#45I assumed the word was derived from "azul" but from the article, it's apparently derived from the Arabic الزليج (al-zillīj) and has no relation with "azul"
This wikipedia article, the wiktionary entry for Portuguese, and the Spanish wiktionary entry all have different etymologies lmao. As a Spanish speaker it seems really hard to believe it's not azul + -ejo. They're literally blue.
[deleted]
Re: Azulejo
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll take advantage of your domain knowledge :) Where's the best place to find local artists that produce them?
Viúva de Lamego is not a "local" artist per se but they're a leading artisanal workshop in classic and contemporary Portuguese tiles. If you have the budget, their tailor-made tiles are something else, imagination is the limit. (source: my dad does a lot of house restorations in Portugal and some require custom tiles to fill in missing/damaged areas)
Can second this. Happy customer here. Amazing experience visiting their factory. Seems like a real institution. There were in fact a bunch of artist at the factory working with them there when we visited.
Re: Azulejo
#47Amazing how an article from Wikipedia easily trends on HN for no good reason, while many posts go unseen under the [new] tab.
Re: Azulejo
#48Azulejos are still a staple in Brazilian architecture. It is a common wall covering in clean areas like bathrooms, kitchens, hospitals.
It is staple but not an art. They're just tilings.
What the Spanish, Moroccan and Portuguese do with azulejos / zellij is miles ahead. It is intricate, complex and beautiful.
Those countries just take the think into crazy high levels of beauty. Brazilian azulejos are not in the same league.
To say that Brazilian azulejos are the same as the Moroccan/Spanish/Portuguese is like saying that a Ferrari Testarosa is the same thing as a VW Beetle (Fusca), that a Fugue by Bach is the same thing as Funk Carioca, that a Crepe Suzette is the same thing as a pancake with orange jelly: technically correct but still absolutely wrong.
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=zellij+morocco&sxsrf=APpeQns...
[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=azulejo+sevillano&udm=2&sxsr...
Re: Azulejo
#49Doing a little activism here: please don't buy old ones while visiting Portugal/Spain/etc., as they are commonly stolen goods. Thanks, from Lisbon.
Meanwhile there are many masters that make these tiles today - I know one personally! - and they all struggle to find clients.
Re: Azulejo
#50> but also had a specific function, such as aiding temperature control in homes.
How? Why even mention it without a blurb about what that even means?