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Arabic calligraphy

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A copy of the Qur'an by Ibn al-Bawwab in the year 1000/1001 CE, thought to be the earliest existing example of a Qur'an written in a cursive script.
Arabic Calligrapher

Arabic calligraphy, commonly confused for Islamic calligraphy, is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy based on the Arabic alphabet. It is known in Arabic as khatt (Arabic: خَطّ), derived from the words 'line', 'design', or 'construction'.[1][2] Kufic is the oldest form of the Arabic script.

From an artistic point of view, Arabic calligraphy has been known and appreciated for its diversity and great potential for development. In fact, it has been linked in Arabic culture to various fields such as religion, art, architecture, education and craftsmanship, which in turn have played an important role in its advancement.[3]

Although most Islamic calligraphy is in Arabic and most Arabic calligraphy is Islamic, the two are not identical. Coptic or other Christian manuscripts in Arabic, for example, have made use of calligraphy. Likewise, there is Islamic calligraphy in Persian or the historic Ottoman language.[citation needed]

Arabic alphabet

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Main article: Arabic alphabet

The Arabic alphabet is one of the most widely used scripts in the world. Many scholars believe that the alphabet was created around the 4th century CE.[4] The alphabet consists of 28 letters written from right to left. Each letter can be written in four ways, depending on where the letter is placed in a word. These four locations are also known as initial, medial, final and isolated.

Implements

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The pens used for Arabic calligraphy vary from Latin calligraphy. The tools used for calligraphy are different assortments of pens and calligraphy ink. The most common calligraphy pen used is Qalam.[5]

Khamish pen

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The Khamish pen also known as a reed pen is used by Arab, Turkish, and Iranian calligraphers. The reed of the pen is grown along rivers. Although this pen has been used for over 500 years, preparing the pen is a lengthy process.

Java pen

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The Java pen is known for the tool's hardness and ability to create sharp edges. The pen is good to use for small scripts.

Handam pen

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The Handam pen consists of the same strength that the Java pen has. The pen is good to use for all kinds of scripts.[6]

Celi pen

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The Celi pen is used for large writing in Arabic calligraphy. These pens are made from hardwood and cut and drilled.[7]

Scripts

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The two most popular scripts used for Arabic calligraphy are Kufic and Naskh.

Kufic

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Main article: Kufic

Qur'an folio 11th century kufic

Originally derived in Iraq and used for inscription on stone and metal, the Kufic style of Arabic calligraphy received its name due to its birth in the city of Kufa, Iraq. Such was common practice among Arabs, to name scripts after the city where they had been developed. This script is one of the oldest scripts used in Arabic and Islamic calligraphy, due to this, the style has undergone many evolutions and changes in its life course, as many attempts were made to perfect it. However, this also lead to the development of many different variations of this script, such as the floriated Kufic, square Kufic, knotted Kufic, and many others. This also means there are few distinguishing features of the Kufic script.[8]

Naskh

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Main article: Naskh

Qur'an folio in black Naskh script with Persian translation in red Nasta‘liq script

Referred to as Naskh or Naskhī script, it is a script which is said to have originated from Mecca and Medina. The script is used as a cursive script, for example on papyrus and paper. The origins of the style are debated by scholars, but some believe it initially stemmed from the Thuluth script. One of the main usages for this script was for writing the Holy Quran but it was also used for inscription on metal antiquities, woods and other objects of decorative purpose. The main evolutionary periods for this script were the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, coinciding with the evolution other similar popular styles such as the Rayhani, Thulth and Muhaqqaq. [8]

Other scripts

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The Thuluth and Nasta'liq and Diwani script are other scripts used for Arabic scripting.

The Thuluth script used during the medieval times is known as one of the oldest scripts to exist. The script was used on mosques and for Quranic text due to the appearance of the text.

The Nasta'liq script is used more for Persian than Arabic scripting. Because of the upward slant to the left,[9] the script is seen as different from the other scripts. The cursive look creates an elegant look when creating.

The Diwani Script was created during the Ottoman era. The lining and lettering of this script creates a sense of closeness when writing. Due to this reason, it's difficult to read since the letters intertwine.[9]

Folio of an album in Thuluth script

A few other examples: [8]

List of calligraphers

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Some classical calligraphers:

Medieval

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Ottoman era

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Further information: List of Ottoman calligraphers

Contemporary

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Legacy

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Type design and type setting

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Arabic calligraphy serves as a major source of inspiration for Arabic type design. For example, the Amiri typeface is inspired by the Naskh script used at the Amiri Press in Cairo.[10]

The shift from Arabic calligraphy to Arabic typefaces presents technical challenges, as Arabic is essentially a cursive script with contextual shapes.[citation needed]

Art

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EL Seed, a French-Tunisian graffiti artist, makes use of Arabic calligraphy in his various art projects, in a style called calligraffiti.[11]

The Hurufiyya (الحروفية letters) movement, since its beginnings in the early 20th century, uses the artistic manipulation of Arabic calligraphy and typography in abstraction.[12]

Taking Shape: Abstraction From the Arab World, 1950s-1980s, a 2020 installation at New York University's Grey Art Gallery, explored how Arabic calligraphy, with its ancient presence in visual art, influenced abstract art in the Arab world.[13] For Madiha Omar, the Arabic alphabet was a means of expressing a secular identity and appropriating Western painting, while Omar El-Nagdi explored the inherent divinity of Arabic calligraphy.[13]

Modern examples

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  • The Emirates logo is written in traditional Arabic calligraphy
    The Emirates logo is written in traditional Arabic calligraphy
  • The instruments and work of a student calligrapher. The phrase written on the top of the paper shows the Shiite saying "Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala."
    The instruments and work of a student calligrapher. The phrase written on the top of the paper shows the Shiite saying "Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala."
  • The official logo of the Saudi Tourism website that translates to "Visit Saudi".
    The official logo of the Saudi Tourism website that translates to "Visit Saudi".
  • Logo of the Saudi National Center for Archives and Records
    Logo of the Saudi National Center for Archives and Records
  • Logo of Al Jazeera Media Network
    Logo of Al Jazeera Media Network

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Julia Kaestle (10 July 2010). "Arabic calligraphy as a typographic exercise".
  2. ^ Stefan Widany (June 2011). The History of Arabic Calligraphy: An Essay on Its Greatest Artists and Its Development. GRIN Verlag. ISBN 978-3-640-93875-9.
  3. ^ Afā, ʻUmar.; افا، عمر. (2007). al-Khaṭṭ al-Maghribī : tārīkh wa-wāqiʻ wa-āfāq. Maghrāwī, Muḥammad., مغراوي، محمد. (al-Ṭabʻah 1 ed.). al-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ: Wizārat al-Awqāf wa-al-Shuʼūn al-Islāmīyah. ISBN 978-9981-59-129-5. OCLC 191880956.
  4. ^ "Arabic alphabet | Chart, Letters, & Calligraphy". 22 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Lettering Pens – Huge overview". 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  6. ^ "The Handam Pen". Arabic Calligraphy Supplies.
  7. ^ "The Celi Pen". Arabic Calligraphy Supplies.
  8. ^ a b c support@baianat.com. "أنواع الخطوط وأشكالها المختلفة". بيانات (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  9. ^ a b "Arabic Writing and Scripts: A Brief Guide | Shutterstock". 24 July 2014.
  10. ^ Hosny, Khaled (2012). "The Amiri typeface" (PDF). TUGboat. 33: 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09.
  11. ^ PopTech (2011), eL Seed: The Art of Calligraffiti, retrieved 2020-02-24
  12. ^ "NYU Grey Art Gallery Spotlights Pioneers of Arab Art". 2020-02-07. Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  13. ^ a b Heinrich, Will (2020-02-20). "How the Arabic Alphabet Inspired Abstract Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-24.

Islamic world & Civilization

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Credited to be the one that catalyzed the growth of Arabic calligraphy; with the earliest works of Arabic calligraphy being featured in copies of the Holy Quran dating back to the first century of Islam's revelation such as Birmingham Quran Manuscript[1], Codex Parisino-Petropolitanus [2]and several others.

Arabic calligraphy can be on occasion be found in places of worship for Muslim's known as Mosques with engravings of Quranic verses / Ayah present on parts of the architecture itself.

The most widely recognized example of Arabic Calligraphy on a place of Islamic worship is the Kaaba present in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Arabic calligraphy specializes into the term Islamic calligraphy when it is associated with the Islamic world.

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  1. ^ "'Oldest' Koran fragments found in Birmingham University". BBC News. 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  2. ^ Coran.
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