Islamic art

The BBC has got an interesting story on its website about advanced geometry in Islamic art:

Researchers in the US have found 15th Century examples [of Islamic art] that use the concept of quasicrystalline geometry.

This indicates intuitive understanding of complex mathematical formulae, even if the artisans had not worked out the underlying theory, the study says.

There’s plenty of material looking at Islamic art and geometry, the significance is that:

Until now, the conventional view was that the complicated star-and-polygon patterns of Islamic design were conceived as zigzagging lines drafted using straightedge rulers and compasses.

The more mathematically-minded can currently download the whole article, entitled “Classic Quasicrystalline Tilings”, from the Science website, or read the summary here.

In case the links are unavailable, the full reference is:

Science 23 February 2007:
Vol. 315. no. 5815, p. 1049
DOI: 10.1126/science.315.5815.1049d