The making and decorating of tiles has gone on for thousands of years and in many ways the history of tiles is a reflection of cultural endeavour. Used in some of the earliest buildings in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, they are still used today on an unprecedented scale in every form of architecture.

Tiles are in the first instance a functional building material, used in interiors to make floors and walls more hygienic and easier to clean. but in their early days with their decorative qualities, they were an expensive commodity and so came to symbolize the power and prestige of the rulers who commissioned them.