Geometry in Islamic Art:  

Pinwheel Activity         

 Activity Overview  Participants will utilize five provided templates to create a pinwheel of shapes represented in Islamic art.   The interactive wheel will display: 

● How different shapes share similar attributes (such as axes of symmetry).  

● How complex shapes are formed by both the addition and subtraction of simple forms (circles, squares, and triangles). 

● How the combination of shapes represented in Islamic art can form tessellations. 

Materials: Four Shape Templates, One Basic Template, Colored Pencils or Crayons, Scissors, One Brass Fastener. 

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Step 1: 

Cut out the basic template (this will become the square base of the pinwheel). Then cut out the following four shape templates: 

● Circle  ● Square ● Eight-pointed star ● Cruciform 

 

Step 2: 

Once all five templates are cut out, color each shape using a different colored pencil or crayon.  

The contrasting colors will help participants visualize the intersection of different shapes and lines of symmetry.

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Step 3: 

Hole-punch all five shapes at the center and stack the shapes in the following order: 

● Basic template (Bottom) ● Circle ● Eight-pointed star ● Square ● Cruciform (Top) 

 

 

Finally, use a brass fastener to join the drawings (at the center) and experiment with the rotating form.  

Step 4: 

 

 

 

Share your pinwheel with the Shangri La community! 

@HI_ShangriLa 

 

 

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Reflection:  

Consider Process: 

● What did you notice while creating your pinwheel? 

● What was the most difficult part? 

Connecting to Geometric Principles: 

● What do some of the shapes on your pinwheel have in common? 

● What can you learn by rotating the shapes on the wheel? 

● What other shapes could you make using the blank template?  

● Do you think you could tessellate some of these shapes? Which ones? Why? 

Connecting to the Collection at Shangri La: 

● Do you think Islamic art is strictly made up of the same four shapes you created?  

● What other shapes and forms can one find in Islamic art? 

● Visit our website and see what other shapes and forms you can find in our collection! 

 

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Doris Duke Foundation Islamic Art collection featured in order of appearance: 

Embroidered and Appliquéd Cotton Tent Panel (Khayamiya), Ottoman, Mamluk Revival. 19th century. Cotton. Object Number: 83.23. Overall: 153 x 68 1/2 in. (388.6 x 174cm). Carved Wooden Doors with Tessellated Geometric Motifs, Ottoman. 19th century. Wood, Polychrome Pigments. Object Number: 64.10a-b. Other (a): 88 3/4 x 20 1/8 in. (225.4 x 51.1cm) Other (b): 88 1/2 x 19 5/8 in. (224.8 x 49.8cm). 

Woman Smoking a Hookah, British India. 19th century. Glass, Pigments. Object Number: 46.21.   

 

Additional Resources:  

● From the Metropolitan Museum of Art: ○ https://www.metmuseum.org/-/media/files/learn/for-educators/

publications-for-educators/islamic_art_and_geometric_design.pdf 

● From the School of Islamic Geometric Design ○ http://www.sigd.org/resources/basic-design-principles/ 

● From Eric Broug: ○ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0yx67aoVWQJflNXVE

luTGNiWEVuQ3FBQ2hkN09JZnFFT3plaUNob2hrRXFqTWhac0lPbGM0Activity.pdf 

● From Joumana Medlej ○ https://tutsplus.com/authors/joumana-medlej 

 

 

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Activity Templates: 

Blank Template 

 

 

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Circle Template 

 

 

 

 

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Square Template 

 

 

 

 

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Eight-Pointed Star Template 

 

 

 

 

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Cruciform Template 

 

 

 

 

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