The Three Families of Moroccan Tile
One clay,
three traditions
Every tile we make begins as clay from the earth around Fez — which makes it, in the truest sense, ceramic. From that single origin, three distinct families emerge. Knowing them is the key to choosing the right tile for your project.
Zellij, terracotta, and hand-painted are not three products so much as three ways of working the same clay. One is formed as a single rough square and hand-cut into geometry. One is shaped before it ever meets the fire. One is painted freehand. Each is hand-made in our own workshop in Fez, and each carries the Zellige de Fès mark of authentic craft.
Zellij
The 5×5 tile is the raw material for everything. It is formed only as a rough-edged 5×5 square — glazed in any of our standard colours, or left natural and unglazed. An artisan marks the desired shapes straight onto the tile by hand, then cuts each one out with a hand chisel. From that single tile come both the interlocking pieces that assemble into every mosaic and the 2×2 and 4×4 formats of our Zellij collection.
If it is a Moroccan mosaic, it began as a 5×5 zellij tile.
Terracotta
Everything formed and preshaped before baking — bejmat, pavers and preformed pieces. Warm, grounded and textural, terracotta keeps the raw character of the earth it came from. Made for floors, courtyards and spaces that favour depth over gloss.
Hand-Painted
Glazed terracotta in 4×4 and 6×6, painted freestyle by hand with traditional motifs, then fired to set the colour for good. No two are ever identical — the brush, not a machine, makes every decision. The most expressive face of the tradition.
How one tile becomes everything
Not sure which family fits your project?
Tell us about your space and we’ll point you to the right tile — with samples in hand before you decide. We respond to every inquiry within 24 hours.