Knowra Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of writing Arabic and other languages in scripts shaped by Islamic religious, cultural, and aesthetic traditions. It appears in manuscripts, architecture, and objects, with styles ranging from highly formal to expressive.
Arabic script : A writing system used for Arabic and several other languages, written from right to left with connected letterforms. Its connected letters and adaptable shapes provide the foundation for many Islamic calligraphic styles.
Ibn Muqla : A tenth-century Abbasid calligrapher and statesman traditionally credited with systematizing Arabic script proportions. His proportional principles became a lasting framework for shaping formal Arabic scripts.
Qur'anic calligraphy : The calligraphic copying and presentation of verses from the Qur'an. The Qur'an's status has made its written text a central subject of Islamic calligraphy.
Arabic calligraphy in the Umayyad period : The development of Arabic writing and monumental inscriptions under the Umayyad caliphate, especially in the seventh and eighth centuries. Early state inscriptions show Arabic writing taking on prominent public and architectural roles.
Islamic geometric patterns : Decorative designs in Islamic art built from repeated geometric forms and mathematical relationships. Geometric ornament offers a nonverbal visual tradition often paired with calligraphic inscriptions.
Arabic calligraphy : The art of writing Arabic letters with deliberate attention to form, proportion, rhythm, and composition. It is the central linguistic tradition within the broader practice.
Naskh script : A legible Arabic script widely used in manuscripts and printed texts, with rounded, balanced letterforms. Its clarity makes it a model of how calligraphic rules can serve sustained reading.
Qur'an : The central religious scripture of Islam, understood by Muslims as revelation to Muhammad. Its Arabic text has inspired centuries of copying, ornament, and calligraphic display.
Dome of the Rock inscriptions : The Arabic inscriptions inside and around Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, completed in 691–692 CE. They are among the earliest major surviving examples of monumental Arabic religious inscriptions.
Arabesque : A decorative motif of scrolling, branching foliage used across many artistic traditions, including Islamic art. Its vegetal forms contrast with calligraphy’s emphasis on legible or stylized writing.
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