The word azulejo comes from the Arabic al zellige (polished stone) as the original idea was to imitate Byzantine and Roman mosaics. As early as the 13th century the spanish city of Seville became one the major centers of the Hispano-Moresque tile industry where alicatados, panels of tile mosaic glazed in a single color, were cut and assembled to form geometric patterns."Colors of Andalusia" is not an essay but a collection of beautiful tile patterns.