Arabesque & Mashrabeyas Traditional Crafts

This item is a vintage handcrafted Egyptian-style wall mirror frame, likely constructed from wood and decorated with intricate inlaid mother-of-pearl geometric patterns and mashrabiya lattice work. Features geometric mosaics, often referred to as Arabesque or Islamic art style. Designed to hold a mirror or act as a decorative picture frame. 

An antique Islamic wooden wall cabinet is a finely crafted decorative unit often found in homes and palaces of Egypt and the broader Islamic world. Made of carved and sometimes inlaid wood, these cabinets feature intricate geometric patterns, arabesques, and calligraphic motifs. Beyond their practical use for storing household items, they reflect the Islamic emphasis on artistry, craftsmanship, and the integration of functional furniture with ornamental beauty.

Mashrabiya windows are distinctive architectural elements in traditional houses of Cairo and other cities of Egypt during the Islamic period. Made of intricately carved wooden latticework, these projecting windows allowed residents—especially women—to observe the street while maintaining privacy. At the same time, their open geometric patterns helped regulate light and airflow, cooling the interior spaces and demonstrating the harmony between aesthetics and practical design in Islamic architecture.

“Arabesque” refers to a style of ornamental decoration based on rhythmic, interlacing patterns of scrolling foliage, stems, and geometric forms. The term, derived from the European word meaning “in the Arab style,” is commonly used to describe a major decorative vocabulary of “Islamic Art”. Arabesque designs appear widely in architectural decoration, woodwork, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, and manuscript illumination, where their repeating patterns create a sense of harmony, infinity, and spiritual order.