About projectPersonalities GalleryCognitive calligraphy All about calligraphy Contact us
   
Home / Written language / From the depth of ages / Arabic writing

Arabic writing

Lion arabic writing - written languageThe first arabic writing is conventionally said to emerge in  the first centuary of hidjra – the 7-  th a.d. By that time the arbic alphabet had virtually  formed but not completely. The archaic writing was rather  primitive and had been used in Arabia  since  islamic state forming there at the time of  Muhhamed anf first califs. One can already  notice traits peculiar to classical arabic writing in that protoarabian writing  - the same letter could correlate with three or four foneme that later differenciated between each other with additional symbols – over and under lower-case marks in orm of diacritical points. Later symbols of "shadda or tashtit" were brought into using to signify consonants. Wovelization came into being more later. The form of letters was taken from  fomer Semitic handwritings. Orthography emerged later – the necessity of text wovelization ripened only by the end of the 7-th centuary. The early arabic writing  virtually imitated the  syrian one.Unfortunately it`s dififficult to date  emerging of arabic alphabet exactly, but all evidences tell us about  the foreislamic period of it`s origin.

 

Differential characteristics

Islamic Callygraphy is a sphere of decorative  art  that could be either individual or  arts and crafts, important cultural symbol of Islam, that accumulated cultural elements of foreislamic heritage.
The convention of artistic language peculiar to the calligraphy that as a whole  implies  even deforming into an abstract image with the origin meaning missing in terms of apothematic tradition enables us to correlate Islamic writing with the sphere of ornament.

Without  any context one can speak about two functions of allygraphy – decorative and spiritually mystical.
In arabic calligraphy is "hatt or hutut".Iriginally islamic calligraphy emerged on the basis of Koran coping that is said to be Allah creation.In this terms the written word has got a sacral meaning.

Two main types of arabic writing are known in the earlier days  of islam – monumental and cursive. The monumental writing is based on straights and has equability and monumentalism.
The cursive writing applies to be used in vernacular writings and later became a basis for "nash" handwriting.
arabic writing - written languageSo there are several questions about the character of the first calligraphic handwriting and the character of its merging   and where exactly it appeared could have different answers. As the earlier archaic handwriting has also several determinations.
Unfortunally, we have only hypothesis. For a long time Researchers  said  that  kufi was the first arabic handwriting all the following styles of calligraphy  emerged from as monumental as cursive.
But the two tendencies developed in parallel and now it`s an incontestable fact that the cursive writing didn`t  emerged from monumental and such like transformaion couldn’t happen at all.
Nevertheless even now the term of "monumental handwriting" has no any single  definition .  

According to the analysis of the given examples taken from Xertsfeld`s archives one should claim that
Monumental and cursive handwritings  - originally forecursive and fore monumental – are  virtually similar.

Many consider "monumental handwriting" as being used only on solid materials – on metals or stones.  According to this fact large scale and quality and sacral functions,value of the object play a profound role. s a rule these are monuments of architecture - moscues,stellas,coins.
In this context "kufi" used on papyrus (that is a soft material) opposed monumental kufi meanwhile handwriting handwritings of Koran is something like on the line between the first and the second one.

In numismatics there was a combination of  cursive and monumental styles .
It`s clear only one thing that  the monumental style combines angular elements and  static forms meanwhile cursive that is exclusively a handwritten one due to  being written ceaselessly  has  peculiar  forms of being suppressed and round elements. The latter one is mostly designed for widespread using

Addressing  the history of Arabic writing and the time of calligraphy uprising one should research Islamic and European written sources
Ibn-an-Nadim`s sourses shows us  mentions of  four prime writings – “makki” “madani” “basri” “kufi”
Names of which emanate from their places of origin -  Makka, Al madina, Basra, Kufa.
It`s remarkable that only Makka has an inclination of alifa to  the right beneath of the bottom, arching lines of letters alif(i), lam (j) and lam-alif (), high verticals of ma (ط ) and caf (ک ), and virtually slight inclination of the writing  to the wright.
Madan writing has three types – mudavvar – peculiar  round loops of  letters vav (ﻭ), fa (), kaf (),
Mim (), ain (ع ), gain (غ ) and ha ().
As for the kufi writing there is a confusion. Researches including, Aid Se Arif,  referring  to arabic researches, determine some earlier monumental type of combination – hira-kufaic. Peculiar traits of the handwriting are massivness, short  and thick lines, angular forms and its  correlation with   quadrate print. Types of arabic handwriting - written language

It`s accustomed to determine six  major types of handwritigs.

These are:

kufi – الكوفي – kufi city
Suls – الثلث –«one third»
Nash– النسخ – «copy»
Tal`ik– التعليق –it`s named as farcy «language of commentation»
Diivany ا-لديواني –«office style»
Rica – الرقعة – «low style»

Masters of arabic callygraphy:

The first outstanding  master to be Abu Ali ibn Mkla (272y.city of Hidjri  328\940y. )
Abul –el –Hasan Ali b.Hilal – born in 422 y. City of hidjri\1022y. His nickname – "Ibn Al Bavar" - son of a butler, literally  "son of who opens  the door". Follower of Ibn al Bavvaba
Yacut al-Musta` Simi – died in 698y. City of Hidjri\1298 – the last follower of Ibn al Bavvaba

arabic writing - written languageAccording to legends the first master of callygraphy — Halid Abi Hayyaz Халид Аби Хаййаз is a legendary person.He lived in the 7-th century. It`s difficult to  appraise  his achievments  as there is no sources and monuments of him.
Then in the 7-th century penman Gotba invented 4 calygrafic styles – mekkanian, basrian, kufian, medinian named according to their approximate places of origin. But this has not been confirmed academically.
There is a version that the legend about spreading  of the four styles came into being due to ideological clashes between different denominations inside Islamic community
Some think that an outstanding penman was   son-in-law of  Muhhamed Ali but still even here there is no paleographical conformation.
Even at the times of Abbasid califs due to centralization and confirmation of the calif power caste of penmen (huttab) that were secretaries and administrators extended.
In the 10-th century Islamic world archived cultural sovereignty and calligraphy being a cultural symbol praised islamic expantion. Sacral kufi gave its place to nasha and other cursive handwritings illustrating changing of era. "Era of outstanding penmen" came into being - Ibn li,Muk,Ibn al-Bavvaba,Yacuta al-Musta`simi.

 
< Prev   Next >
UFI
ЮНЕСКО
From the depth of ages
Writing utensils
cll_logo-museum_eng_c-2.png      
 
National Union of Calligraphers
julyaugust 2010 september
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031
Exhibition opens in

40
days
Mission of project
To form a beautiful and healthy society
Words of wisdom
A soul and a handwriting. Calligraphy – written beauty of feelings.

 
MVK