by Chris Pearce

Created on: March 04, 2008

Quranic, or Islamic, calligraphy is a special form of artistic writing using the Arabic script. Calligraphy took on prominence in Islamic societies because pictures of people and animals can contravene the belief that the work of God is superior, and these images are not usually used in decorative art. Calligraphy therefore became a respected art form and can dominate mosque walls and furniture, tombs, and many household items.

Islamic calligraphy was written on parchment or papyrus with a quill from the seventh century, and was used in making copies of the Quran. Kufic was the first script used as a Quran script and spread throughout the Islamic world. It is an angular, self-assured script with clear contours, and looks imposing even as small text. Before the invention of printing, calligraphy studios were set up to write copies of the Quran on parchment. Here, inscriptions were also designed and chiseled into stone ready for placing on buildings. Calligraphy also featured on coins. From 692 CE, pictures on coins were replaced by words, usually from the Quran.

Working in Kufic became an art form that was said to take years to master. Several styles developed, including a sloping Persian script used to weave elaborate inscriptions on silk textiles. These were valued possessions and the Crusaders took them to Europe. Another script style developed in Spain and northern Africa which became the Maghrabi script.

When paper was introduced from China in the eighth century, Islamic calligraphers kept using parchment for the Quran as it was hardier and more prestigious. But paper became the material used for many other books and soon Muslim libraries boasted thousands of volumes of beautifully written documents. Paper quality improved and it was used to copy the Quran by the 12th century, when the Nashki, Muhaqqaq and Raihani scripts replaced Kufic. Nashki, a flowing cursive script with round letters and thinner lines, is the script commonly used today in Arabic printed material and is the script taught at school.

Early calligraphers were dedicated professionals who often wrote sitting on the floor, with paper resting on a piece of cardboard across their knees. A skilled calligrapher would learn to write with his non-preferred hand if his other hand was injured in battle or from punishment. There are even cases of calligraphers practicing their art using their mouths or feet. Children were taken on in apprenticeship-type roles from a young age to become calligraphers.

Many

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