Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of the Calligraphy Scripts in Islamic History

Arabic calligraphy is thriving in the Arab and Muslim world. Even with the advent of computer technology, the traditional art form has not been adversely affected. Instead, it has found new uses.

To understand how simple lettering has become an expressive art form, one needs to look at the history of Arabic Calligraphy.

The Arabic language, a part of the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages, is composed of 28 letters (mostly consonants). It is written from right to left with the letters flowing into each other. The letters are distinguished from one another mainly by the use of dots and their location.

Calligraphy has its roots in simple written Arabic, but has developed into much more complex styles. There are six kinds of scripts - Deewani, Farsi, Kufi, Naskh, Reqaa, and Thuluth.Through history there were dozens more that are no longer used. Some scripts have a loose style, while the Kufi script is the most geometric.

As in Islamic architecture, geometry plays a large role in calligraphy. Practitioners of this art train for years before becoming adept professionals. The best calligraphers in history are revered as true artists in the Muslim world.

Calligraphy, Architecture, and Artisic Expression

To Muslims, calligraphy is used as the ultimate expression of God’s words. Knowledge and literacy have always been emphasized in Islam, especially regarding the reading of the Quran (written primary in Arabic). The ability to read and write in Arabic is almost an obligation to all Muslims and the prolific use of calligraphy demonstrates that.

Additionally, calligraphy was an alternative to sculptural or figurative architectural decoration, which were historically associated with idolatry. Calligraphy was a way to mark a building as distinctly Islamic as well as pay tribute to God. It was used to express a religious theme in a building - the Taj Mahal is adorned with many passages of the Quran that relate to Paradise, making the entire complex a metaphor for the heavens.

During the rise of Islam, artists who were forbidden to realistically represent animate objects used calligraphy as a means of creative expression. As the lines of an abstract work express the emotions of that artist, the strokes of a calligrapher's pen represented those same feelings.

Arabic Calligraphy and Design on the Internet

Arabic calligraphy has moved into the 20th century and onto the internet. Several artists have their work online and have used the internet to develop new ventures in the art form of calligraphy. Logo designs by Sakkal Design, owned and operated by Mamoun Sakkal, sell for $1500 to $3000.