Islamic calligraphy

It is a highly stylized and structured form of handwriting that follows artistic conventions and is often used for Islamic religious texts, architecture, and decoration.

This early style later evolved into several forms, including floral, foliated, plaited or interlaced, bordered, and square Kufic.

In the ancient world, though, artists sometimes circumvented aniconic prohibitions by creating intricate calligraphic compositions that formed shapes and figures using tiny script.

[8] Islamic calligraphy evolved primarily from two major styles: Kufic and Naskh, with numerous regional and stylistic variations.

The ink is often in colour and chosen so that its intensity can vary greatly, creating dynamism and movement in the letter forms.

Islamic calligraphy can be applied to a wide range of decorative mediums other than paper, such as tiles, vessels, carpets, and stone.

A notable example is the Suaire de Saint-Josse, used to wrap the bones of St. Josse in the Abbey of St. Josse-sur-Mer, near Caen in north-western France.

In the Islamic tradition, calligraphers underwent extensive training in three stages, including the study of their teacher's models, in order to be granted certification.

[12][13] Although some scholars dispute this, Kufic script was supposedly developed around the end of the 7th century in Kufa, Iraq, from which it takes its name.

Due to the lack of standardization of early Kufic, the script differs widely between regions, ranging from very square and rigid forms to flowery and decorative ones.

Kufic is commonly believed to predate naskh, but historians have traced the two scripts as coexisting long before their codification by ibn Muqla, as the two served different purposes.

[25] Thuluth was developed during the 15th century and slowly refined by Ottoman Calligraphers including Mustafa Râkim, Shaykh Hamdallah, and others, till it became what it is today.

Muhaqqaq was commonly used during the Mamluk era, but its use became largely restricted to short phrases, such as the basmallah, from the 18th century onward.

[29] With the spread of Islam, the Arabic script was established in a vast geographic area with many regions developing their own unique style.

These artists integrated Islamic visual traditions, especially calligraphy, and elements of modern art into syncretic contemporary compositions.

Although not affiliated with the hurufiyya movement, the contemporary artist Shirin Neshat integrates Arabic text into her black-and-white photography, creating contrast and duality.

[44] Notable Islamic calligraffiti artists include: Yazan Halwani active in Lebanon[45], el Seed working in France and Tunisia, and Caiand A1one in Tehran.

[46] In 2017 the Sultanate of Oman unveiled the Mushaf Muscat, an interactive calligraphic Quran following supervision and support from the Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, a voting member of the Unicode Consortium.