Arabic Calligraphic Art

Timeline

1. 700–1000Kufa · IraqKufic, as an early formal script, was widely used in Quranic manuscripts and stone inscriptions; its elongated horizontal strokes and heavy vertical strokes laid the aesthetic foundation of Islamic calligraphy.
2. 1000–1130Isfahan · IranDuring the Seljuk period, scripts such as Naskh and Muhaqqaq were standardized in madrasas and court workshops; calligraphy became closely integrated with architectural decoration and ceramic inscriptions, forming Persian and Mesopotamian schools.
3. 1131–1140Marrakesh · MoroccoAfter the rise of the Almohad dynasty, the Maghreb and Al-Andalus continued the Maghribi script tradition; inscriptions in mosques and palaces and Quranic bindings reflected the central role of calligraphy in state symbolism in the early 12th century.