Illuminated Beauty

Calligraphy, or beautiful writing, is arguably the most identifiable and time-honored form of Islamic art. By the 10th century, six distinct cursive scripts had been developed and put into use for texts such as the Qur’an, literary works, and official documents. These six scripts are thuluth, muhaqqaq, naskh, rayhani, tauqi, and riqa, each with distinct features as to the shape and length of letters and the level of decoration they contain. In the fifteenth century, the nasta’liq  script was developed in Iran and used primarily for poetry, including in places such as India and Turkey.

Calligraphy, among other forms of Islamic art, has been “characterised by an attempt to bring the Sacred into the world without representing the Divinity directly.”¹ The beauty of the written word, both in meaning and appearance, are intended to draw attention, and adoration, to the Divine, without the use of figures. Variations in the calligraphy and decorative elements of illuminated Qur’ans from around the world tend to reflect the aesthetics of the regions in which they are produced.

¹Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. "The Dominating Principle of Islamic Art Comes From The Quran."Islamic Arts & Architechture.16 March 2011.http://islamic-arts.org/2011/the-dominating-principle-of-islamic-art-comes-from-the-quran/.18 April 2016.