Islamic Art

Taking A Closer Look At Arabic Calligraphy

Published

April 7, 2014

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Abbasid Dynasty

After the Umayyad dynasty came the Abbasid dynasty (750 – 1258 CE), bringing advancements to Arabic calligraphy. During this period, Thuluth and Naskh were developed. The three calligraphers responsible for these developments were Ibn Muqlah, followed by Ibn Al Bawwab (11th century) and Yaqut Al Musta’simi (13th century).

Ibn Muqlah restricted the scripts’ proportions to six cursive styles, including the Thuluth, Naskh and Muhaqqaq. These rules are based on four elements: the rhombic dot, the alif, the circle and the similarity system. These changes helped to develop the Kufic script with the cursive styles shown below.

The rhombic dot as a guide to proportions (Image source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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The alif and circles as a guide to proportions (Image source: Fayeq Oweis)

The measurements of the Arabic letters showing similarity, according to Ibn ar-Rawandi, Rahat as-sudur (Image source: Annemarie Schimmel)

THULUTH SCRIPT

The name “Thuluth” means one third, which might refer to the size of the pen used to write the script. It is one of the cursive scripts that was commonly used to decorate mosques and different types of texts.

The Thuluth script was first developed in the 11th century during the Abbasid dynasty and was refined by calligrapher Seyh Hamdullah during the Ottoman dynasty. It is the basis of scripts that appear later, such as the Jeli Thuluth, the Naskh and the Muhaqqaq, the last two of which we will cover later in this article.

The Thuluth script is marked by its clear structure and readability, which make it suitable for a number of purposes, even today. The cursive letters and long lines make it easily readable and usable for both titles and long texts. Therefore, it was used in the Holy Qur’an and in architectural decorations in many regions of the Islamic Empire. Below are some examples of the Thuluth script.

Thuluth script in Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey (Image source: Puccaso)

The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal in India, written in the Thuluth script (Image source: Habeeb)

A modern instance of the Thuluth script is the flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Image source:Wikipedia)

NASKH SCRIPT

During the same period, the 10th century, another main script was developed. Used to copy books, especially the Holy Qur’an, Naskh, which means “copy,” was later refined by Islamic calligraphy master Seyh Hamdullah (1436 – 1520) during the Ottoman dynasty.

Known for its readable glyphs, the Naskh was traditionally used for long texts and inscriptions. Its use continues today in the design of printed Arabic books, due to its modern look and cursive letters.

One page from the Holy Qur’an, written in the Naskh script (Image source: US Library of Congress)

Pottery drinking vessel, with Naskh script, from the 13th century CE (Image source: A. Davey)

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8 Comments

RCHOUDH

April 7, 2014 at 6:39 AM

Mash’Allah nice informative article. Regarding Arabic calligraphy, I once remember reading about how Muslims also created a form of script that combined both Arabic and Chinese calligraphy, which I found to be amazing. It’s really interesting to see how things different aspects of one’s culture can change through time and the influence of other cultures.

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Bader Fatima Hamid

April 7, 2014 at 10:27 AM

JazakAllahu khairan for the wonderful insight of the development of Arabi Calligraphy. Please continue it in more detail in sha’ Allah.

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Abdulkarim

April 8, 2014 at 2:04 AM

Assalamu alaykum,
Mashalllah very nice complication. I remember going to Samarkand, an old historical city in Uzbekistan about 20 years ago and seeing such a wonderful Islamic calligraphy on the ancient Masjids, Madrasahs and other building. Apparently it used to be the centre of Islamic Education. The point is that mashlalah Muslims used to be the on the forefront of the Art, Calligraphy, Design and many other fields.
Anyway, jazkallahu khayran for this article.

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Tasneem Sachee

April 11, 2014 at 6:17 AM

The Fatimid Kufi Script is one of my ABSOLUTE favourites – Thank you for such an informative article on the history of the Arabic script. When I visited Egypt, especially the Jamea-ul-Anwar in Cairo, it was amazing to see the grandeur and beauty of the Kufi script in person. There are so many scripts in Arabic calligraphy the more traditional like Tuluth and the flowing scripts like Deewani, but the geometric beauty of the Kufi script makes it unique giving it an endless modernity in this day and age. Thanks again!

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Tasneem Sachee

April 11, 2014 at 6:49 AM

Also, I’d just like to point out that in this section: “The Fatimid Kufic script appears in the architecture of Bab Al Nasr, a gate built by Babr Al-Jamali..” – The correct name is Badr Al-Jamali – not Babr – thanks!

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Islamic Calligrapher

April 15, 2014 at 5:25 PM

Mashallah Great Post But It Need Some More History ….

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Ali Ahmad

March 11, 2015 at 5:29 AM

i really like this article. i search many time this type of article, thanks for sharing this.
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