Abbasid ceramics
Abbasid ceramics are Islamic pottery made in Iraq during the Abbasid Dynasty, mainly in the 9th and 10th centuries in Baghdad and Samarra. The Abbasids were powerful traders and rulers, so their pottery traveled far, showed a wide range of styles, and is remembered for its quality. They helped develop lusterware, a shiny glaze that creates a metallic, shimmering effect.
These ceramics used clay mixed with sand and were finished with various glazes. Because true porcelain was not yet available, they often used a white tin glaze and a special luster technique to mimic porcelain. Lusterware involves two firings: first an opaque white glaze, then a second firing in a reducing kiln to produce a glossy, multicolored surface.
Chinese porcelain and Coptic glazed ware influenced Abbasid pottery through trade and contact, and there was also a two-way exchange of ideas and styles. Kilns for Abbasid pottery have been found at Samarra, Susa, and Siraf; Siraf had around 30 kilns in the 10th century, and Samarra was a major production site based on the many finds around the city.
Designs drew on Mediterranean and Iranian motifs, including plants and abstract patterns, geometric bands, and sometimes figures, as well as inscriptions with religious phrases or artisans’ signatures. Luster decoration allowed colors to shift with light, and lusterware came in multicolor, two-color, and single-color forms, with monochrome often becoming more popular over time. In Samarra, lusterware tiles were used in architecture, forming friezes and other decorative elements; later, glazed tiles became common to brighten brickwork in Abbasid buildings.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:27 (CET).