Free Islamic Architecture Pictures: 87 Photos

87 free Islamic architecture pictures from the BigFoto library, all real photos from our travels: the tiled madrasas and turquoise domes of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, the Shah Mosque on Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, gates and minarets in Morocco, Cairo and Tunisia, and mosques from Mostar to Singapore. The last group is tile and pattern close-ups that work as an Islamic wallpaper on a tablet or phone, or behind a Ramadan or Eid greeting.

How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.

Samarkand: the Registan, Shah-i-Zinda and Gur-e-Amir

The madrasas of the Registan, among them Sher-Dor with its tiled portal, the blue tiled tombs and turquoise domes of Shah-i-Zinda and the ribbed dome of the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum. The group ends with one more turquoise ribbed dome and, in Shakhrisabz, a brick mausoleum and the ruined Ak-Saray palace.

Bukhara and Khiva: minarets, madrasas and mausoleums

The Kalyan Minaret by day and in the evening light, the courtyard of the Kalyan Mosque, the Mir-i-Arab madrasa with its turquoise domes, the Samanid Mausoleum and more madrasas and domes in Bukhara. In Khiva, madrasas and a minaret seen from above, the tiled Kalta Minor minaret, domes and roofs and a small mausoleum with a turquoise dome.

Isfahan: the Shah Mosque and Naqsh-e Jahan Square

Naqsh-e Jahan Square from above and with the dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, then the entrance portal, minarets, courtyard and iwan of the Shah Mosque, once framed by a dark arch. The arcades of a madrasa garden end the group.

Naqsh Jahan Square and the dome of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı

Hagia Sophia across a garden, above the old city and inside, the Blue Mosque at dusk and the fountain in its courtyard, the New Mosque, also at sunset from the Galata Bridge, the Süleymaniye Mosque above the Golden Horn, the stepped domes of another large mosque, and the Ortaköy Mosque on the Bosphorus under the Bosphorus Bridge. At Topkapı Palace, the Gate of Salutation, the Tower of Justice, a gilded gate and a courtyard.

Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Ghana

A city gate in Rabat, the green tiled doorway of a mosque in Tangier, a minaret over a white square with palms in Tétouan and a tiled doorway in a medina lane. Then the Citadel and the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo, a minaret in Luxor, two white mosques in Tunisia, one on the ridge at Chenini, and the mud-built Larabanga Mosque in Ghana.

Green tiled doorway of mosque in Tangier

Domes and minarets from Mostar to Singapore

The Taj Mahal in Agra, a minaret at Caesarea, the King Abdullah I Mosque in Amman and the minarets of Mostar by the Neretva. In Malaysia, the Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar, the star-shaped roof of the National Mosque and Masjid Jamek in Kuala Lumpur and more mosques, then the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque in Singapore.

Tile and pattern close-ups for Islamic backgrounds

Blue tile mosaic vaults inside the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, a carved stalactite vault at Shah-i-Zinda, a tiled muqarnas vault and a tiled portal with wooden doors in Iran, a painted dome, the painted vaults of Ali Qapu Palace and the carved stucco niches of its music room, a painted ceiling in an Isfahan palace, a tiled madrasa wall and the brick patterns of the Kalyan Minaret. The brown painted ceilings are the calmest behind text; on the blue tiles and the painted dome, put the text in a box.

Mosaic dome inside the Mosque in Isfahan

More free photos

Questions about these Islamic architecture pictures

Can I use these Islamic architecture pictures for free?

Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.

Which places are in these pictures?

Most come from Uzbekistan (Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Shakhrisabz), Isfahan in Iran and Istanbul. The rest are from Morocco (Rabat, Tangier and Tétouan), Cairo and Luxor in Egypt, Tunisia, Larabanga in Ghana, Caesarea, Amman, Mostar, Agra, Malaysia and Singapore.

Can I use them as Islamic or Ramadan backgrounds?

Yes. Most of the tile vaults, painted ceilings and patterned walls in the last group are pattern from edge to edge, so they work behind a Ramadan or Eid greeting, a slide title or a post. The evening photos of the Blue Mosque, the New Mosque and Bukhara suit a greeting card too. The originals are about 1200 pixels on the long side: fine for a phone, a tablet or a slide, a little soft on a large monitor.