Madiha Umar (1908 – 2005 in Aleppo) (Arabic: مديحة عمر) was an Iraqi artist who was known for incorporating calligraphy with abstract art.
Her father was Circassian and her mother was Syrian; mixed parentage was typical in the multicultural Turkish Empire.
[3] Umar attended the Sultaniyya School in Istanbul, where she drew praise from Ali Riza for her painting skills.
[4] In the US, she came across a book on Arabic calligraphy by Islamic scholar, Nabia Abbott and this inspired her to explore the possibilities of incorporating letters into her artwork.
In 1952, Umar participated in the Ibn Sina exhibition, held at the Art Institute in Baghdad with 48 paintings, all of which employed Arabic letters in a modern, secular artwork.