In addition to its permanent collection of traditional tiles and ceramics, it hosts a number of modern exhibitions throughout the year.

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This extends far beyond the contemporary art market, too, with Chinese buyers pulling ahead of the pack and also dominating at auctions of traditional Chinese ink paintings, ceramics, and antiques this year.

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In the Nasrid Palaces, a palace complex within the palace complex, the combination of building materials (wood, stone, ceramics and plaster) with traditional Islamic forms (intricate calligraphy, stuccoed ceilings and interwoven geometric patterns) reaches a point close to perfection.

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Best buys are babouches (traditional leather slippers), silver Berber jewellery, the famous blue-glazed Fassi ceramics, hand-sewn linen and cotton embroidery, Berber hendiras (traditional woven cloaks that make great wall hangings), argan oil (for cooking or in soap), saffron and other spices, brassware, and carpets of every type, style and quality.

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HTSs are ceramics, and thus much harder to shape and work than traditional superconductors, which are metals.

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This showroom of locally designed clothing, textiles and accessories reveals strong Nordic influences, with ceramics and carved juniper wood used for homewares, and fabrics often adopting the patterns found in traditional Estonian folk dress.

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