The Topkapi Scroll and the geometric traditions of Islamic art and architecture form the central focus of a collaboration agreement signed between the Las Fuentes Foundation and Istanbul University on September 28 in the Turkish city. The project between the two institutions aims to promote “Geometry in Islamic Pattern,” an international initiative that brings to life—through graphic works, workshops, and conferences—five years of research by a team of 21 artists led by Dr. Serap Ekizler, a specialist in Islamic architectural heritage.
The agreement was finalized at a meeting attended by Serap Ekizler herself and Cumhur Ersin Adigüzel, Ph.D. in the history of Al-Andalus and former director of the Casa Turca in Madrid, along with Bárbara Ruiz Bejarano and Isabel Romero, representing the Las Fuentes Foundation. *Geometry in Islamic Pattern* culminated in the publication of two volumes that structurally analyze the design of the Topkapi Scroll and reconstruct it using traditional geometric methods.
Based on this meticulous research, as well as historical manuscripts and geometric systems of architectural surfaces, the project explores the knowledge and methods underlying the design of geometric patterns in Islamic art. Rather than analyzing them as decorative images to be copied or digitally reproduced, *Geometry in Islamic Design* examines the proportional relationships, structural principles, and constructive processes through which they were originally generated.
The complex designs selected for the exhibition are based on analyses developed in Ekizler’s research and publications, and are reconstructed directly using traditional methods involving a compass and ruler. In this way, the works reveal the geometric knowledge and the rigorous sequence of decisions that remain hidden beneath the finished pattern.
This is not the first time that the Las Fuentes Foundation and Istanbul University have collaborated on joint initiatives. Years ago, the two organizations jointly organized workshops on Ebru, or water painting, as well as Sufi music and dance.
