Calligraphy... script styles :)

[.: Anna :.]

The Kufic ScriptKufic script, a heavy monumental Arabic script suited to stone carving, appears in the earliest surviving Koran manuscripts. In these, the diacritical marks over the letters are sometimes painted in red, and the gold decorations between suras contrast handsomely with the heavy black script. In the Seljuk period, a more cursive flowing script, Naskhi, developed. The two styles were often used for contrast in architecture and decorative contexts.http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/kufi_smpl2.gif






The Naskh ScriptNaskh, which means "copying," was developed in the 10th century, and refined into a fine art form in Turkey in the 16th century. Since then it became generally accepted for writing the Quran. Naskh is legible and clear and was adapted as the preferred style for typesetting and printing. It is a small script whose lines are thin and letter shapes are round.http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/naskh_smpl2.gif






The Thuluth ScriptThuluth was the medieval Islamic style of handwritten alphabet. Thuluth (Arabic: "one-third") is written on the principle that one-third of each letter slopes. It is a large and elegant, cursive script, used in medieval times on mosque decorations. It took on some of the functions of the early Kufic script; it was used to write surah headings, religious inscriptions, and princely titles and epigraphs. It was also used for many of the large copies of the Koran produced from the 13th century.http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/thul_smpl2.gif




The Ta'liq / Nasta'liq / Farsi ScriptsTa'liq is a cursive style of lettering developed in Iran in the 10th century. It is thought to have been the creation of Hasan ibn Husain Ali of Fars, but, because Khawaja Abdul Mali Buk made such vast improvements, the invention is often attributed to him. The rounded forms and exaggerated horizontal strokes that characterize the Ta'liq letters were derived primarily from the Riqa' script. The ornateness and sloping quality of the written line had roots in the Towqi script of Ibn Muqla (died 940). Designed specifically to meet the needs of the Persian language, Ta'liq was used widely for royal as well as daily correspondence until the 14th century, when it was replaced by Nasta'liq.

Nasta'liq was the predominant style of Persian calligraphy during the 15th and 16th centuries. The inventor was Mir 'Ali of Tabriz, the most famous calligrapher of the Timurid period (1402-1502). A cursive script, Nasta'liq was a combination of the Naskh and Ta'liq styles, featuring elongated horizontal strokes and exaggerated rounded forms. The diacritical marks were casually placed, and the lines were flowing rather than straight. Nasta'liq was frequently incorporated into the paintings of the early Safavid period (16th century) and is traditionally considered to be the most elegant of the Persian scripts.

http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/farsi_smpl2.gif


The Riq'a ScriptRiq'a, the simpler style of everyday writing is very economical and easy to write. It is popular for writing both Turkish and Arabic.

http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/riqa_smpl2.gif


The Diwani ScriptThe Diwani script is a cursive style of Arabic calligraphy developed during the reign of the early Ottoman Turks (16th-early 17th century). It was invented by Housam Roumi and reached its height of popularity under Süleyman I theMagnificent (1520-66). As decorative as it was communicative, Diwani was distinguished by the complexity of the line within the letter and the close juxtaposition of the letters within the word.

http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/diwan_smpl2.gif

A variation of the Diwani, the Diwani Al Jali, is characterized by its abundance of diactical and ornamental marks.


http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/images/samples/script/jali_smpl2.gif




Source: Kamel El Baba, Rouh Al-Khatt Al-Arabi (http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/ac/rouh.php)
www.Arabiccalligraphy.com (http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/)

[peace2u]

arabic script can be so beautiful. I really wish I could write like that.


Peace

[Ebony]

I can do the Farsi script.
Not so good at the Naskh and Thuluth :(

[thurber]

Arabic Calligraphy

The Origins

According to contemporary studies, Arabic writing is a member of the Semitic alphabetical scripts in which mainly the consonants are represented. Arabic script was developed in a comparatively brief span of time. Arabic became a frequently used alphabet—and, today, it is second in use only to the Roman alphabet.

The early Arabs were basically a nomadic people. Their lives were hard before Islam, but their culture was prolific in terms of writing and poetry. Long before they were gathered into the Islamic fold, the nomadic Arabs acknowledged the power and beauty of words. Poetry, for example, was an essential part of daily life. The delight Arabs took in language and linguistic skills also would be exhibited in Arabic literature and calligraphy. The early Arabs felt an immense appreciation for the spoken word and later for its written form.

Arabic script is derived from the Aramaic Nabataean alphabet. The Arabic alphabet is a script of 28 letters and uses long but not short vowels. The letters are derived from only 17 distinct forms, distinguished one from another by a dot or dots placed above or below the letter. Short vowels are indicated by small diagonal strokes above or below letters.

The Nabataean were semi-nomadic Arabs who dwelled in an area extending from Sinai and North Arabia to southern Syria. Their empire included the major cities of Hijr, Petra, and Busra. Although the Nabataean empire ended in 105 C.E., its language and script would have profound impact upon the early development of Arabic scripts.

Archeologists and linguists have analysed and studied the Nabataean inscriptions that represent the advanced transitional stage toward the development of such Arabic scripts as the Um al-Jimal, dating from about 250 C.E., and the Namarah of the famous pre-Islamic poet Imru’ al-Qays, dating from 328 C.E. Another inscription from Um al-Jimal, dating from the 6th century, confirms the derivation of the Arabic script from the Nabataean and points to the birth of distinctive Arabic writing forms.

North Arabic script was first introduced and established in the northeastern part of Arabia. During the 5th century, Arabian nomadic tribes who dwelled in the areas of Hirah and Anbar used this script extensively. In the early part of the 6th century, the North Arabic script reached Hijaz in western Arabia. Bishr Ibn Abd al-Malik and his father-in-law Harb Ibn Umayyah are credited with introducing and popularising the use of this script among the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Quraysh. Other tribes in nearby cities adopted with enthusiasm the art of writing.

Jazm is the earliest referenced Arabic script. This script is believed to be an advanced form of the Nabataean alphabet. The stiff, angular, and well-proportioned letters of the Jazm script would later influence the development of the famous Kufi script — the script of Kufa, a small town in Iraq.

http://www.themuslimweekly.com/fullstoryview.aspx?NewsID=134E9350D54F661F845162F3&MENUID=ARTCULTURE&DESCRIPTION=Art%20and%20Culture

[thurber]

Arabic Calligraphy (part 1)

While many religions have made use of figural images to convey their core convictions, Islam has instead used the shapes and sizes of words or letters. Because Islamic leaders saw in figural arts a possible implication of idolatry, Islam’s early theocracy looked to the artistry of calligraphy for religious expression. In Islamic and Arabic cultures, calligraphy became highly respected as an art — the art of writing.

Scholar Yasin Hamid Safadi (1978) writes:

The primacy of the word in Islam is reflected in the virtually universal application of calligraphy. Writing is given pride of place on all kinds of objects—objects of everyday use as well as entire wall surfaces, mosque furniture, the interiors and exteriors of mosques, tombs, and al-Ka’ba, the most famous sanctuary of Islam. But like the icons of most other faiths, script also represents power. Its preeminent use is the writing of the divine message of the Qur’an, of course, which endowed it with extraordinary strength and transcendent significance. From this world’s manifold possibilities, Allah had chosen Arabic as the vehicle for his final revelation.

Arabic calligraphy is a primary form of art for Islamic visual expression and creativity. Throughout the vast geography of the Islamic world, Arabic calligraphy is a symbol representing unity, beauty, and power. The aesthetic principles of Arabic calligraphy are a reflection of the cultural values of the Muslim world. A thorough investigation into the aesthetic differences between Arabic and non-Arabic calligraphy might provide an approach for understanding the essential spirit of each culture.

Anthony Welch (1979) writes that the primary reason for the chronological, social, and geographic persuasiveness of the calligraphic arts in the Islamic world is found in the Holy Qur’an.

Welch cites the following quote from the Qur’an:

Thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,

Who teacheth by the pen,

Teacheth man that which he knew not.

- (Surah al-Alaq, 96:3-5)
This verse refers to the attainment of knowledge in general, and particularly to that gained from revelation as found in the Qur’an. The written form of the Qur’an is the visual equivalent of the eternal Qur’an and is humanity’s perceptual glimpse of the Divine. The Holiness of the Qur’an lends a special aura to all forms of the written word.

Contemporary scholarship stipulates that Arabic belongs to the group of Semitic alphabetical scripts in which mainly the consonants are represented. Arabic script is derived from the Aramaic Nabataean alphabet. It is a script of 28 letters and uses long but not short vowels. The letters are derived from only 17 distinct forms, distinguished one from another by a dot or dots placed above or below the letter. Short vowels are indicated by small diagonal strokes above or below letters. When written without dots and diacritical points, Arabic script can look flat and barren. But when the dots and diacritical points are added, the script comes to life like a garden in spring.

Writes Welch: "Written from right to left, the Arabic script at its best can be a flowing continuum of ascending verticals, descending curves, and temperate horizontals, achieving a measured balance between static perfection of individual form and paced and rhythmic movement. There is great variability in form: words and letters can be compacted to a dense knot or drawn out to great length; they can be angular or curving; they can be small or large. The range of possibilities is almost infinite, and the scribes of Islam labored with passion to unfold the promise of the script.

Moreover, technical aspects were not separated from aesthetic and even personal criteria. Inscriptions are found incorporated in the decoration of almost every Islamic work, and in that of a large number of objects as well."

Arabic lettering has achieved a high level of sophistication, and Arabic scripts can vary from flowing cursive styles like Naskh and Thuluth to the angular Kufi. On a traditional Islamic building, a number of different writing styles may appear on, for example, the walls, windows, or minarets. Most of the inscriptions are not only from the Qur’an but also the Hadith (the Prophet’s words) and are in harmony with the religious purposes of the building. An inscription can give meaning to the building by clarifying its function.

Arabic calligraphy is a symbol representing power and beauty. Its history is the integration of artistry and scholarship. Through the abstract beauty of the lines, energy flows in between the letters and words. All the parts are integrated into a whole. These parts include positive spacing, negative spacing, and the flow of energy that weaves together the calligrapher’s rendering. The abstract beauty of Arabic calligraphy is not always easily comprehended — but this beauty will slowly reveal itself to the discerning eye.

Arabic calligraphy is not merely an art form but involves divine and moral representations — from which calligraphy acquires its sublime reputation.

(to be continued next week insha Allah)

http://www.themuslimweekly.com/fullstoryview.aspx?NewsID=087BA66FE460472CB70CB6D8&MENUID=ARTCULTURE&DESCRIPTION=Art%20and%20Culture

[Arrakis]

Arabic writing is so beautiful, I have always loved it. When I try to write it, it looks horrible, but I never stop trying lol.

Arabic and Chinese calligraphy, no one can beat them for grace in writing.:up: