Richard Henry

On a wall overlooking a garden in Marrakesh, Morocco, this 12-pointed star vibrates with strapwork and ornamentation, but its basic geometry can be drawn using only one-eighth of the pattern. That becomes. template that, flipped and inverted seven times, produces the rest of the star.

Decorative and functional, lattice screens have been produced in countless geometric forms across Islamic lands over centuries. In New Delhi one such screen, there called a jaali, offers mesmerizing interplays of 6- and 12-sided figures. Originally crafted in the 16th century, it can be drawn today by following our step-by-step guide.

In this six-part series, we begin by learning how to draw, step by step, a swirling dance of geometry from a famous cut-tile wall panel in the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. It’s easier than it looks.