Arabic calligraphy
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.
[8] Arabic calligraphy evolved from a tool for communication and documentation to an artistic form in the span of 13 centuries, it was also implemented in various other fields such as mathematics and astronomy.
[9][better source needed] Originally 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.
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.
[citation needed] 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,[14] Codex Parisino-Petropolitanus[15] 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.
[16] The most widely recognized example of Arabic Calligraphy on a place of Islamic worship is the Kaaba present in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
EL Seed, a French-Tunisian graffiti artist, makes use of Arabic calligraphy in his various art projects, in a style called calligraffiti.
[18] The Hurufiyya (الحروفية letters) movement, since its beginnings in the early 20th century, uses the artistic manipulation of Arabic calligraphy and typography in abstraction.
