Arabic

Calligraphy

By

SIraj Allaf

Saleh Albatati

I have strived to reach the highest levels of artistic mastery, but I found that Islamic Calligraphy was there ages before I was.

                                                                              ..Picasso

introduction

the arabic language

• How many letters in Arabic Language?
• Arabic letters have special shapes depending on the position of the letter in the word
• Unlike the English language, the direction of the Arabic language is from right to left (RTL).
  

Historical Information

• Before Islam there were many types of Arabic Calligraphy.
• Each type was related to an area and a nation.
• After Islam, there were many attempts to make a common shape for Arabic letters to make them easier to read and write for all Muslims in any place.
  
• The importance of Arabic Calligraphy increased due to the relationship between Islam and hand writing (The Holy Quran).

historical information

•  First copy of Holy Quran was written in the period of (Othman bin Affan) the third Khalifa (644 - 656).
•  The famous calligrapher (Ibn Moklah) developed old types and put the basics for the modern shapes of calligraphy.(949)
• Throughout the ages, many calligraphers contributed to the development of these types.
• In Arabic Calligraphy, characters are sometimes arranged in the forms of plants or animals. This produces a visual message in addition to the linguistic one
  
  

arabic calligraphy types

•  Nowadays, many types are exist and people are using them.
•  Only a few of them are very famous.
  

al-kufi

• Historically, it is the oldest type that is used till now
• It was created after the establishment of the two Muslim cities of Basra and Kufah in the second decade of the Islamic era
• This type can be written by a pen and a ruler
• It has rigid shapes and sharp edges
• Used to decorate Mosques
  

al-kufi

al-kufi

AL-REQA’A

• The most common type of handwriting
  
• The word Riq’a means “a small sheet,” which could be an indication of the media on which it was originally created.
  
• Clear and legible, and is the easiest script for daily handwriting
• Easier to learn and write than other scripts. Good script for beginners
• Part of tomorrow's workshop :)
  

AL-REQA’A

AL-REQA’A

AL NASKH

• Nasakh means “copy” in Arabic
  
• Noted for its clarity to read and write, and was used to copy the Qur’an.
  
• Computers typically use Naskh or a Naskh-like script, for instance: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

AL NASKH

AL NASKH

AL DIWANI

• Used in chancelleries’ orders in the past.
  
• It looks like at dancing because it has many curves.
• It was labeled the Diwani script because it was used in the Ottoman diwan and was one of the secrets of the sultan's palace. The rules of this script were not known to everyone, but confined to its masters and a few bright students
• It's no more a secret and will be part of our workshop tomorrow!
  

AL DIWANI

AL DIWANI

JALI AL DIWANI

• It is like Al Diwani but it has many dots around each letter.
• Very beautiful and flexible.
• Difficult to read, calligraphers wrote the state secrets using this type in the past.
  

JALI AL DIWANI

JALI AL DIWANI

AL Ta’liq

• Also called Al-Farisi (Persians)
  
• Ta’liq means “hanging,” referring to the shape of the letters
  
• It was developed in Persian and considered traditionally as the predominant style in Persian calligraphy
  
• It is very flexible.
• Used to write other languages as Urdu
  

AL TA’LIQ

AL TA’LIQ

AL THULUTH

• The most beautiful and difficult type.
• Used to decorate mosques.
• Used to write titles, names, headlines, .etc.
• The best known artist to write the Thuluth script at its zenith is said to be Mustafa Râkım Efendi (1757–1826), a painter who set a standard in Ottoman calligraphy which many believe has not been surpassed to this day
• The script is used in the belt of Al-Kaba, Prophet's Mosque, the Flag of Saudi Arabia where its text, Shahada al Tawhid, is written in Thuluth.
  

AL THULUTH

AL THULUTH

AL EJAZAH

• It is a combination of Thulth and Naskh types
• Used to write Ejazah (the certificate of Arabic Calligraphy)
• Used also for signatures
  

AL EJAZAH

AL TOGRA’A

• Has a fixed shape
• Used for Sultan signature in The Ottoman Empire
• Nowadays, many designers and artists use it to make logos
  

AL TOGRA’A

AL TOGRA’A

FAMOUS CALLIGRAPHERS

 Ibn Moqlah (886 - 939).
 Ibn AlBawab (961 - 1022).
 Yaqoot AlMostasemi (1298).
 Hamadallah AlAmasi (1429 - 1520).
 Mir Emad AlHasani (1554 - 1665)
 Alhafiz Othman (1642 - 1698).
Mostafa Raqem (1758 - 1826).

FAMOUS CALLIGRAPHERS

Mohammad Asaad AlYasari (1798).
 Mostafa Ezzat (1801 - 1876).
 Mohammad Shafeeq (1820 - 1880).
 Mohammad Shaoqi (1829 - 1887).
 Abdullah AlZuhdi (1879).
 Sami Afendi (1838 - 1912).
 Mohammad Nadheef (1846 - 1913).

famous calligraphers

Abdulazaiz AlRefai’e (1817 - 1934).
 Ahmad Kamel (1861 - 1941)
 Isma’el Heqqi’e(1873 - 1946).
 Mohammad Ameen (1883 - 1945).
 Hamed ALAmedi (1891 - 1982).
 Mostafa Haleem (1898 - 1964).
 Hashem AlBoghdadi (1917 - 1973).

examples