It is likely that this quality of strict regularity was largely responsible for the disinterest they received when on exhibit. Regular repetitive design, even with unusual motifs,  alien to westerners is perceived as primarily static decoration, not to be a focus of interest, but rather to provide a bit of color and texture to otherwise bare walls, floors, and furniture surfaces. Only those who share the passion for creating interlocking motifs will give such pieces more than a passing glance. 

In reality, Western audience lacked the grasp of the Islamic artistic philosophy which dictates that the motifs, which are mainly used in religious buildings, are meant  to avoid  distracting the worshippers from the religious ritual prayers.  Instead, the strict regularity of repetitive design insures a hypnotic visual effect which puts the worshipers into a meditative mood. 

In addition to the decorative printed fabrics, in 1926 Escher designed majolica tiles in the Moorish tradition which were manufactured for the floor of the family apartment in Rome, as well as for his studio on the floor above. The design, painted on white tiles, was a geometric meander, interlacing two different colored ribbons that twisted on a path of many right-angled turns and filled out a large square. It could well have been inspired by similar designs which he had seen in the Alhambra. In 1942 he recorded the designs of the four individual tiles, as well as the scheme of the whole tiling.