Islamic calligraphy

The art of writing Arabic letters in beautiful forms that decorate Qur'ans and mosques, showing the skill and love of beauty of calligraphers.

Islamic calligraphy is a revered art form that arose to record and preserve the Qur'an with utmost care. Over centuries, calligraphers developed elegant styles including geometric Kufic, clear Naskh, monumental Thuluth, Diwani, and Nastaliq, transforming written words into artistic masterworks that grace manuscripts, domes, and walls across the world.

The preeminent visual art of Islamic civilization, distinguished by its intimate connection with the transcription of the Qur'an, state chancery, and monumental architectural epigraphy. Developing from early Hijazi and Kufic scripts, it achieved geometric codification through the proportional system established by Ibn Muqla, refined by Ibn al-Bawwab and Yaqut al-Musta'simi. Encompassing canonical scripts like Naskh, Thuluth, Nastaliq, Diwani, and Maghribi, Islamic calligraphy harmonizes semantic clarity with rhythmic abstraction, embodying a primary aesthetic emblem of Islamic culture.