Stucco decoration in Islamic architecture refers to carved or molded stucco and plaster. The terms "stucco" and "plaster" are used almost interchangeably in this context to denote most types of stucco or plaster decoration with slightly varying compositions. This decoration was mainly used to cover walls and surfaces and the main motifs were those predominant in Islamic art: geometric, arabesque, and calligraphic, as well as three-dimensional muqarnas. Plaster of gypsum composition was extremely important in Islamic architectural decoration as the relatively dry climate throughout much of the Islamic world made it easy to use this cheap and versatile material in a variety of spaces.
Stucco in the Court of the Lions of the Alhambra (14th century), in Granada, Spain. Arabesques are mixed here with calligraphic motifs and muqarnas sculpting.
Stucco dome from Khirbat al-Mafjar, late Umayyad period (early 8th century), showing Classical-inspired motifs carved in high relief
Panel of carved stucco wall decoration from Abbasid Samarra, Iraq, in the "beveled" style (9th century), showing flatter and more abstract motifs
Stucco mihrab in the Great Mosque of Isfahan in Iran, with deeply-carved arabesques and inscriptions (early 14th century, Ilkhanid)
Mudéjar art, or Mudéjar style, was a type of ornamentation and decoration used in the Iberian Christian kingdoms, primarily between the 13th and 16th centuries. It was applied to Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles as constructive, ornamental and decorative motifs derived from those that had been brought to or developed in Al-Andalus. These motifs and techniques were also present in the art and crafts, especially Hispano-Moresque lustreware that was once widely exported across Europe from southern and eastern Spain at the time.
Façade of Parroquieta Chapel of La Seo de Zaragoza, Aragon, a gothic building with elaborate mudéjar masonry
Mudéjar style ceiling carpentry, Segorbe town hall (former ducal palace), Valencia Region
Nuestra Señora de Loreto, Algezares, city of Murcia: wooden ceiling on "diaphragm" arches