Islamic Calligraphy and Madrasa Traditional Artifacts

Type Object Region Islamic world Time c. 1190–1200

Late 12th-century Islamic calligraphic artifacts—Quran manuscripts, madrasa lintels, and niche inscriptions—supported the madrasa educational system;…

Timeline

c. 1190–1195Damascus · SyriaThe mihrabs and entrance lintels of newly built madrasas in the Ayyubid period were commonly inlaid with Kufic and Naskhi inscriptions within geometric borders, mostly consisting of foundation contracts and Quranic verses, becoming a visible marker of madrasa identity.
c. 1195–1200Cairo · CairoThe madrasas established by Saladin and his successors in Cairo commissioned standard-format Quran manuscripts for students' recitation and calligraphic copying; the quality of paper and ink and the rules for line spacing reflect the institutionalization of book production at the end of the 12th century.

Sources

The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250 — Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Marilyn Jenkins-Madina (2001)
Madrasa: The Evolution of an Islamic Institution — George Makdisi (1981)