TEHRAN -- Veteran tile designer and master of art and Islamic architecture Mahmud Maheronnaqsh died of cancer in a Tehran hospital on Tuesday. He was 88.

He was suffering from cancer for the past two years (the type of the cancer was not given in the report) but over the past month he was feeling worse, the master’s son Hassan told the Persian service of Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
Born in Isfahan in 1922, Maheronnaqsh grew up in an art-loving family. His father was a famous traditional architect in Isfahan and Mahmud was greatly fond of the decorative tileworks appearing on the walls in every corner of the city.
He traveled to Tehran in his youth and conducted much research on Iranian traditional architecture for years. He was later invited to Iran’s University of Science and Technology in Tehran to teach.
He published several books on architecture, and his five-volume book on Persian tilework was published by Reza Abbasi’s Museum in Tehran in 1976.
The master was also a member of Iranian Academy of Arts, and was selected as one of the Iranian eternal figures in 2006.
The master’s large seven-color tilework bearing the name of Imam Ali (AS) went on show in December 2010 at “Iran, Land of Worship” exhibition in Munich.
He is due to be buried in the Artists Section of Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery on Wednesday.