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Islamic Calligraphic Art
By the 1180s, mature Arabic calligraphic traditions including Kufic, Naskhi, and Thuluth scripts served Quran manuscripts, architectural inscriptions…
Timeline
- 1181–1185Cairo · EgyptSaladin and his successors patronized Quran manuscripts and mosque architectural inscriptions in Egypt and the Levant; Naskhi script became prevalent in official documents due to its legibility, forming a division of labor with decorative Kufic.
- 1186–1190Baghdad · Abbasid CaliphateTravel and scholarly movement between Mesopotamia, the Maghreb, and al-Andalus further blended script styles by the late 1180s, with the decorative qualities of Thuluth script widely applied to metalwork and ceramics.
Sources
- Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250 — Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Marilyn Jenkins-Madina (2001)