As the Abbasid Empire expanded from Afghanistan to Algeria, regional ceramics industries were influenced by techniques, designs and motifs from other parts of the empire, adding to the variety of designs, decorations and styles available locally. While luxury ceramics in the eastern regions of the empire were riotous in polychrome and monochrome, equivalent wares in North Africa – particularly in Ifriqiya – were more sober. Besides the lustre ceramics, monochrome or polychrome glazed-relief pieces and glazed wares with inscriptions, were widespread. Utilitarian ware generally speaking tended to be unglazed and simply and sparsely decorated. Nonetheless, all seem to share qualities typically Islamic.