Throughout the Muslim world, the façades of important buildings were covered with muqarnas (known as muqarbas in North Africa) a three-dimensional geometric stalactite-like decoration, or with geometric patterns carved into the stone. The intention was to leave no spaces undecorated (horror vacui).
From the Almohad era onwards, the façades of minarets in North Africa and al-Andalus were decorated first with single or intertwined lobed arches that, when repeated and superimposed, resulted in a pattern known as sebka that was created from a network of rhombuses and resembled openwork tapestry.