+ Description

Near the town of Jericho, Palestine, are the ruins of an impressive country residence named after the Umayyad Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd al-Malik (724-743 AD). The house contained one of the most beautiful and elaborately decorated mosaic floors in the world, entitled the "Tree of Life” mosaic.

The design, represented by a fruit tree and gazelles, was designed to resemble an oriental carpet. In 746, the sumptuous palace was levelled by an earthquake, which had also destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The accumulated sand and debris helped preserve the palace's lovely mosaics.

The depiction of animals represent the Good and Evil in life. It is said that when the Tree of Life reaches its full height, it will emit a light that spreads around the world.

Najat's Artistic Technique: Najat’s hand-painted porcelain captures the essence of this historic mosaic’s effects by applying a special painting technique of her own using both pen and brush to create a mosaic effect. The tile then undergoes several firings at high temperature in a special kiln.