The Era of Refinement

Excerpt from our ‘Arabic Calligraphy Around the World’ calendar. The art of the pen reached an unprecedented level of sophistication during the Ottoman period. Ottoman calligraphy is characterised by its carefully worked out compositions. Of the many scripts, Thuluth and Naskh were especially compatible with Turkish taste. The rounded and elastic nature of Thuluth makes it open to artistic treatment. As for Naskh, even though its letters are curved, they must be arranged in lines, making the script unsuitable for complex compositions. Instead, it is used for long texts such as the Quran. From the 15th century until today, Istanbul has been the centre for studying the art, and enthusiasts from all over the world still flock there to be students and apprentices to the great masters. It takes many years to learn, and training culminates in the ijazah or the authoritative Arabic calligraphy license.