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Calligraphy in Islamic Art
Tiraz fragment from a shawl [Yemen] Bowl [Samarqand (Uzbekistan) or Nishapur (Iran)] Mirror [Iran] Mosque lamp [Egypt (Cairo)] Tile[Probably Samarqand (present-day Uzbekistan)] Helmet [Iranian] Tughra [Istanbul] Sandstone roundel [India, probably Bijapur] Album leaf [Turkey]


Calligraphy is the most highly regarded and most fundamental element of Islamic art. It is significant that the Qur’an, the book of God's revelations to the Prophet Muhammad, was transmitted in Arabic, and that inherent within the Arabic script is the potential for developing a variety of ornamental forms. The employment of calligraphy as ornament had a definite aesthetic appeal but often also included an underlying talismanic component. While most works of art had legible inscriptions, not all Muslims would have been able to read them. One should always keep in mind, however, that calligraphy is principally a means to transmit a text, albeit in a decorative form.

Objects from different periods and regions vary in the use of calligraphy in their overall design, demonstrating the creative possibilities of calligraphy as ornament. In some cases, calligraphy is the dominant element in the decoration. In these examples, the artist exploits the inherent possibilities of the Arabic script to create writing as ornament. An entire word can give the impression of random brushstrokes, or a single letter can develop into a decorative knot. In other cases, highly esteemed calligraphic works on paper are themselves ornamented and enhanced by their decorative frames or backgrounds. Calligraphy can also become part of an overall ornamental program, clearly separated from the rest of the decoration. In some examples, calligraphy can be combined with vegetal scrolls on the same surface though often on different levels, creating an interplay of decorative elements.


Islamic World, Religious Art, Islam, Calligraphy, Qur'an, Calligraphy, West Asia

Department of Islamic Art

Abbasid Period, The Age of Süleyman "the Magnificent", Almoravid and Almohad Period, The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period, Ayyubid Period, Birth of Islam, Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands, Fatimid Period, Figural Representation in Islamic Art, Glass with Mold Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands, Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art, Ilkhanid Period, The Mamluk Period, The Nature of Islamic Art, Nishapur, Seljuq Period in Anatolia, Seljuq Period in Iran, Takht-i Sulayman and Tile Work in the Ilkhanid Period, Umayyad Period, Umayyad Period in Spain, Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art, The Arts of the Book in the Islamic World, 1600-1800, Islamic Arms and Armor, Art and Nationalism in Twentieth-Century Turkey, Modern Art in West and East Pakistan, West Asia: Between Tradition and Modernity, The Magic of Signs and Patterns in North African Art, Abridged List of Rulers: Islamic World,



West Asia, 500-1000 A.D., West Asia, 1000-1400 A.D.