Just

saltdragon:

hominisaevum:

Tughra (Imperial Cipher) of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), ca. 1555; Ottoman Turkey (Istanbul).

The Ottoman tughra is a calligraphic emblem of the sultan’s authority that was included in all official documents, such as firmans (royal decrees), endowment papers, correspondence, and coins. Used by the first Ottoman sultan in 1324, it later developed into a more complex form that included three vertical shafts and two concentric oval loops on the left. It consists of the name of the reigning sultan, his father’s name, his title, and the phrase “the eternally victorious.”

This unique calligraphic emblem was not easily read or copied. Therefore, a specific court artist was designated to draw the undecorated, standard tughra. A court illuminator assisted him in the exquisite decoration of the tughra on certain imperial documents. The illuminator’s delicate scroll design and naturalistic flowers enhance the harmonious lines of calligraphy, creating a colorful voluminous effect.

I believe this is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. If you’re in the area, go see it. The work itself is beautiful, and the Islamic galleries are wonderful in general. It’s well worth the trip.

fallenangel4:

Tile from an Inscriptional Frieze

dated A.H. 707/A.D. 1308  Iran, Natanz

Inscription: Qur’anic inscription formed by molded blue relief letters in Arabic naskh. Inscription reads: L sana sab ‘wa sab’umi’a (“…i, the year seven and seven hundred” (A.D. 1307-8) The “l” before the year is the last letter of the name of the Arabic month Shawwal or rabi al-awwal. If this is the case, the date would be March 25-April 22 A.D. 1308 or

Marking: Arabic: [In the month Shawwal]l, 707 A.H.

A composition from the 18th or 19th century India and now in a Riyadh collection, heavily stylized Kufic lettering is formed into a shape like a Mihrab or prayer niche. The four central panels contain part of Sura Al-Qalam (The Pen) of the Qur’an.

(Source: roxygen)

yerawizardharry:

Nüshu (literally “women’s writing” in Chinese) is a syllabic script created and used exclusively by women in the Jiangyong County in Hunan province of southern China. Up until the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) women were forbidden access to formal education, and so Nüshu was developed in secrecy as a means to communicate. Since its discovery in 1982, Nüshu remains to be the only gender-specific writing system in the world.

Read more here.

This ijaza, or diploma of competency in Arabic script calligraphy, was written by ‘Ali Ra’if Efendi in 1791. In the two lowermost panels appear the signed approvals of two master calligraphers, Mustafa al-Halimi and Husayn Hamid.

(Source: roxygen)

deofavente:

Zoomorphic Calligraphy, Qajar dynasty, Persia, 18th century.

saimori:

douler:

typeni:

写植-SK-3RY(手動写真植字機）と一枚のポスター

99 names of Allah(swt) written in an Arabic style known as Sini (Chinese) by a Chinese Muslim Calligrapher Hajji Noor Deen Mi Guanjiang