It revels in curvilinear elements, extraneous loops, extreme contrasts between compression and expansion, and connected letters, all traits that make it difficult for the novice to decipher".

[3] In taliq words and detached letters could be joined, which allowed for speedy writing and made it suitable for official correspondence.

In order to write even faster, chancery clerks (munshi) streamlined the script by increasing the number of unorthodox ligatures and dropping the pointing on many letters.

[1][4] According to Safavid authors (like Dust Muhammad or Qadi Ahmad) shikasta taliq have been invented, or at least defined, by Taj al-Din Salmani, a scribe working in the court of Timur (r. 1370-1405), and perfected by ʿAbd-al-Hayy Astarabadi, chief clerk under Timur's grandson Abu Sa'id (r. 1451-1469).

[7] Gholam-Hosayn Yusofi stressed that shikasta taliq "is a script devised for rapid writing and therefore one in which intertwining is allowed, that is, unjoinable letters as well as two or more words are joined together.