Arabic Calligraphy

Type Object Region Islamic world Time c. 700

In the 1120s, Arabic calligraphy served as the core visual language of Quranic transcription, architectural inscriptions, and court documents, with s…

Timeline

c. 1121–1130Scribal workshops of Baghdad and Córdoba · CórdobaIn the 1120s, calligraphers transcribed Qurans in scripts such as Kufic and Naskh, adorned with geometric and arabesque decoration; calligraphic norms circulated across regional networks through master-disciple transmission and court patronage.
c. 1130–1300Cairo and Samarra · CairoCalligraphy extended from manuscripts to mosque mihrabs, minarets, and public building inscriptions, forming a monumental textual landscape legible from afar that reinforced religious and political authority.

Sources

Islamic Calligraphy — Sheila Blair (2006)
The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250 — Richard Ettinghausen and Oleg Grabar (1987)