Arabic calligraphy

Figure 1.5 - Ahmad al Warraq, A.,(11th century) North African Quranic scripture in Kufic script

Arabic calligraphy is the art of writing Arabic script beautifully, as described by the calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya (Zakariya 2016). This type of art can be found in almost all types of Islamic art.
Traditionally, calligraphy makes reference to verses from the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Apart from the Quran, Arabic calligraphy is also done for other religious scripture, verses of poetry and inscriptions of personal interest (Kvernen, E. 2009).

Arabic calligraphy evolved from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to now, quite drastically. The earliest form of Arabic calligraphy is Kufic script as seen in figure 1.5. New fonts and writing styles that developed over the years, influenced by people from different lands. As Islam spread, the art of Quranic Arabic calligraphy did too. Some popular examples of other styles of calligraphy include Maghribi which was developed in North Africa, Thuluth which is very bold, Naskh (see figure 1.6) which is the style used most commonly in Quran, and Nasta'liq which is also called Farsi because it was developed by Persian calligraphers (Kvernen, E. 2009).

Figure 1.6 - Papadopoulo, A., (1979) Cupola and Minaret. Kufic and Naskh Arabic calligraphy on the cupola.

An important aspect about Quranic verses is that it must be treated with a lot of respect and it's placing must be chosen very carefully. One would not find Quranic verses placed in a toilet or bathroom, or on the floor. Because of this, Arabic calligraphy of Quranic verses will not be found in a few types of Islamic art, for example, on a Persian carpet.