Shaping Islamic Calligraphy

2018

2008

This dissertation examines multiple applications of Arabic script and the relationship linking visual design with written communication. It presents typography and calligraphy as distinct communicative practices and explores the importance of print culture and printed material in relation to the rise of the modern bureaucratic state. The work is arranged in seven chapters, each illustrating how changes in the visual appearance of Arabic letters connote distinct channels of textual authority and knowledge. Chapter 1 opens a comparative framework with three models of writing in relation to religious tradition, and Chapter 2 explores written communication through the lens of grammatology. Chapter 3 delves into the Arabic calligraphic tradition, the symbolic interpretation of letters, and the meanings of multiple scripts. With the arrival of print, Arabic writing practices shifted in response to a new communication technology, and Chapter 4 outlines the Ottoman adoption of print technology. This section examines historical and archival material, which chronicles early Ottoman printing as well as post-print developments of Ottoman calligraphic art. The symbolic, visual, and textual changes that accompanied the new medium are addressed in Chapter 5, and Chapter 6 introduces a comparative study of Arabic letter design in modern Jordan. A series of interviews with practicing calligraphers, graphic designers, and contemporary artists highlight diverse applications of Arabic script and the flexibility of written communication and. Finally, Chapter 7 reflects upon the historical trajectory of previous chapters to ask what the story of Arabic script might teach us about the future of writing. This chapter traces the continuity of calligraphy and digital design and suggests a more nuanced concept of writing for digital practice. As practices of writing continue to shift both in the Middle East and globally, visual conventions surrounding Arabic script provide a wealth of strategies worthy of preservation and exploration.

Journal of Qur'anic Studies, 2007

'Ilm: Science, Religion, and Art in Islam, 2016

Pakistan Heritage, Department of Archaeology, School of Cultural Heritage and Creative Technologies, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan, Vol. 5, June. 2014, 2014

Catalogue of an exhibition held at Dar El-Nimer, Beirut, 2017.

Middlesex University Research Repository, 2020

This thesis contributes towards the body of knowledge of the development of Arabic calligraphy, an art form that has passed through many historical stages since the advent of Islam and the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, in its patterns, styles, values and concepts. The relationship between Arabic calligraphy and Graphic design in Saudi Arabian culture and its creative industries is investigated; the arts and handicrafts policy of the Saudi government and the role of these in promoting and sustaining Arabic calligraphy is examined. Finally, the influence of five factors (financial, organisational, educational, social and technological) upon its development is analysed. The research is based on fieldwork conducted in Saudi Arabia (2016-2017). Mixed methods were used to collect data (questionnaire and interview). Fieldwork techniques allowed the opinions of calligraphers and graphic designers and the Saudi public to be known, allowing this study to be conducted from their perspective. Supporting literature was used to place Saudi Arabia within the larger context of arts, handicrafts and the creative industry. This research found that traditional Arabic calligraphic design has undergone an extraordinary development, where many of calligraphic styles have been created in a modern way to be used in graphic products. However, the connotations of the designs have changed in response to commercial requirements; in particular, their original religious contexts and significance are frequently neglected, thus changing people's perceptions, and their appreciation, of Arabic calligraphy. This research approaches this development. The implications of this research indicate a need for deeper understanding of the role that Arabic calligraphy plays as a symbolic representation of cultural heritage, identity of Arab-Islamic community and the language of the Qur'an, in light of challenges such as globalization, mechanization and technology.

UMRAN - International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies

The Islamic art has developed from different kind of visual art. Arabic calligraphy is one of the most prominent arts starting from the revolution of the Quran and has a long history. This paper will help to provide some sources of information that can be used by people who would like to understand and study the Islamic calligraphy and Islamic art. Also, this paper is connecting the Arabic language to universal spirituality and express how Arabic calligraphy has become a prominent feature in Islamic world. Indeed, this paper provides a brief of the long history of Islamic calligraphy, explains about some of various of Arabic fonts style, and some important Quranic colour that has significant in the Islamic culture. Arabic calligraphy, which is also known as Islamic calligraphy, has a long history of development starting from the first written form of the Quran, in the early 7th century. The Arabic calligraphy art presents how to understand and appreciate its varied styles and modes....

2019

The current research (the distinction of Islamic art in the framework of Arabic calligraphy) is an attempt to study the aesthetic qualities of the Arabic calligraphy inspired by Islamic art with its structural conceptual references and the use of the character of the aesthetic characters according to formations that have a relationship centered on the linear structure of the text, And its transmission from its functionality (blogging) to aesthetic privacy (the decoration) inspired by the rules of the Arabic letters and their origins. The Arabic calligraphy was associated with Quranic texts and the prophetic Hadiths and stages of their functional and aesthetic improvement, And the variety of forms, especially the line of the third, which is proof of mastery of the calligrapher, which is the most beautiful and complete in the qualities of the letters aesthetic, varied and multi-faceted bodies of the calligrapher to another, and lack of study to show the aesthetic side of the lines of ...

The desktop publishing revolution of the 1980s and the digital media have forever changed the way information and visual images are created, transmitted, and experienced. For the majority of the countries that use Arabic script these changes are taking place slowly. If we want to assure a continuity of cultural heritage, however, we must act. We must facilitate the adaptation of the script to the new media and the media to the script. This effort should involve traditional calligraphers as well as computer experts. In this chapter some of the ways calligraphic designs are used today is presented, and the answers sought for two questions: “Is computer an appropriate and useful tool for calligraphy?” “What effects would the use of computer have on the art and craft of calligraphy?”