Arabic Calligraphy : Styles and Examples in Delhi & Nearby

Wikipedia defines calligraphy as
“Calligraphy (from Ancient Greek: κάλλος kallos “beauty” and γραφή graphẽ “writing”) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument or brush in one stroke (as opposed to built up lettering, in which the letters are drawn).”

Calligraphy as an art form has always been popular from time immemorial but it was under the Islamic rules in various countries that it reached its zenith as images of living beings were forbidden in Islam. This meant that geometric forms and calligraphy were the only forms that could be used for decorating buildings and monuments. Given that much of Islamic architecture centred around tombs and mosques, Quranic calligrapgy gained much importance.

There is not much known about the origin of the Arabic script and it is felt that it was derived from the Nabataeon script towards the beginning of the 6th c AD. Some attribute it to Syriac writing. Though there is a common belief that the primitive form of the Arabic writing was Kufic and Naskh was a development of that, both existed side by side.

Kufi: the word Kufi comes from the Iraqi town of Kufa.

It is characterized by:

Angular letter shapes
Short, broad vertical strokes and long extended horizontals
Written on a horizontal baseline

The stiff angular shape of the Kufic character didn’t lend itself for ordinary use and it was reserved for writing the Holy Quran, coins and inscriptions on stones.

It was developed into such a fantastic decorative shape that very few could read it and only professional calligraphers could transcribe it. This led to a gradual disuse of the style by 13th century. In India where Islamic power was established in the 12th century only a few examples are found on religious buildings.

In India Quwattul Islam Mosque, SultanGhari and Tomb of of Iltutmish have fine specimens of Kufic calligraphy.9th century Qur’an, an early kufic example from the Abbasid period.

2. Naskh : Naskh is round script distinct from Kufic which is angular. Naskh, was developed in the 10th century, and refined into a fine art form and became an accepted style for writing the Holy Quran. “Naskh” is derived from the verb “nasakha,” meaning “to transcribe or copy.

Its characteristics are

Small script, neat and balanced
Letter shapes are more fluid and curved than rayhani
Letters lean slightly to the left
Descending letters end in an upward hook
Equal division between flat and round shapes and heavy and light strokes
Highly legible, clear and quick to write The domed Alai Darwaza is decorated with red sandstone and inlaid white marble decorations, inscriptions in Naskh script

3. Taliq Ta‘liq” means “suspension,” or “hanging together”

It was used for official correspondence in the royal courtand for writing books and letters.

It is chatacterised by

Letters that don’t connect on the left are often connected in this script (unauthorized ligatures)
Descending strokes appear as loops
Letters are rounded with extreme contrasts in letter spacing
Wide spaces appear between lines
Lines ascend upward as they move from right to left

4. Nastaliq : (Pronounced “nes-tah-leek”) and is thought to be a hybrid of the words “naskh” and “ta‘liq”

Nasta‘liq was originally devised to write the Persian language and was used in Persia and India/Pakistan for literary and non-Koranic works. It was developed in 15th c Iran

It is characteristed by

Features characteristics of both naskh and ta‘liq
Vertical strokes are short, horizontal strokes are broad and sweeping
Letter shapes appear to be deep and hook-like
Letter shapes vary widely in thickness
Overall impression of swiftness, calm, fluidity
Letters appear to “float” or “hang” across the page. This quality is increased when the text is arranged diagonally, as is common in nasta‘liq poetry
Nasta‘liq is never written with vowels except an occasional hamza and shaddaHakim Mosque, Isfahan, Iran with a poem is inscribed in white Nastaliq calligraphy on blue ceramic tiles Nastaliq

4.Shikaste (Pronounced “shi-kas-teh”; Persian–Shekasteh)

It means broken because this script is a ‘broken’ version of Taliq and nastaliq. It was used for longer documents as it was written quickly . Also its flowery style was ideal for poetry.

Note : his script is illegible to the inexperienced eye

Its characteristics are

Shikaste is the ta‘liq or nasta‘liq script written rapidly. Each word is written with a single pen stroke, without lifting the pen off the page
Letters and words that don’t connect on the left are often connected in this script (unauthorized ligatures)
Vertical strokes are extremely short
Letters are written diagonally across the page
Letter shapes are intricate, complex and dense

Artist: khurshid gohar qalamShikasta From Museum of Fine Arts Boston

5. Thuluth :Pronounced “thoo-looth”; Turkish–Sulus)

“Thuluth” means “one-third.” This possibly refers to its pen size (one-third the size of the pen used for a larger script called tumar)

It is used for writing many different kinds of texts and particulary for titles and architectural inscriptions

It was developed in 10th c A

It is characterised by

Vertical strokes have a leftward slant, horizontals have a deep curve
The ends of most descending letters come up in a hook
Often written so the letters interlace
Many alternate letter forms exist in this script

The calligraphy on the Taj Mahal has been done by the Persian master calligrapher Abd ul- Haq, who came to India from Shiraz, Iran, in 1609. As a reward for his “dazzling virtuosity”, Shah Jahan gave him the title of “Amanat Khan”. His signature appearsat the base of the interior dome.According to historians Amanat Khan was responsible not only for the design of the script but also for the choice of text. The texts chosen refer broadly to themes of judgment and paradisiacal rewards for the faithful. The inscription over the gateway invites the reader to enter Paradise, the abode of the faithful and reward for the righteous.

6. Ri’qa : Riqa‘ ” is derived from the Arabic noun, ruq’a, meaning “a patch or piece of cloth.” The script was named thus because it was often written on small pieces of paper to petition royalty. It was used for writing letters, epics, stories and personal / official correspondence.

Its characteristics are

Small version of tawqi‘
Features rounded letter shapes
Letters that don’t connect on the left are often connected in this script (unauthorized ligatures)

7. Divani : “Divani” is derived from the word “divan,” the name for the Ottoman royal chancery. It was developed in the 16th c AD and was used in the Ottoman court to write official documents, including proclamation scrolls, edicts, land and title grants, appointments, correspondence, endowments, etc.

It is characterised by

Wide spaces appear between lines
Lines ascend upward as they move from right to left
When written in large (djali) form, the empty spaces in the script are filled with small dots in a veil of decorative detail
Letters and words that don’t connect on the left are often connected in this script (unauthorized ligatures)
Other scripts are maghribi, Muhaqqaq and Rayhani
Some examples from monuments in Delhi

Mehrab in Jamali Kamali Mosque

Medallion Afsarwala Mosque, Humayun’s tomb complex

Ceiling of Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s Tomb in Hauz Khas

Grave in Humayun’s tomb courtyard

Mehrab in Masjid e Qila Kuhna, Purana Qila

Examples from Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s tomb

From Madjid e Qila e Kuhna or Purana Qila

#Calligraphic medallions in mosque
Rajon ki Baoli
Mehrauli
Some unique examples examples of Bismillah artist : Balti sahab