The creation of Persian tiles began about 1200 A.D. After conquering Timur, the people of Persia learned from Chinese pottery that many colors could be added to one tile. By 1500 A.D., the colors of Chinese pottery became an integral part of Persian tilemaking and unique to the region. Persian tile decorating reached its zenith in the 18th and 19th centuries. Tiles are used in two different ways for art. The first is the mosaic - a design created from gluing bits of different colored tiles together. The second, in Persian, is called Ghlami - a technique where several colors are painted onto one tile with a brush. In this exciting, cultural lesson, students learn to create Persian Ghlami tiles using underglazes and/or a majolica technique.