Persian Calligraphy is famous all around the world for its elegance and fluidity and holds a special place in the Iranian culture. Its history goes back to centuries ago, from ancient scripts to the Islamic influence and eventually the unique Persian styles that emerged.
Persian calligraphy is more than just writing, it’s a form of expression, devotion, and pride for the Persian culture. In this article, we’ll explore the history of Persian calligraphy and how each style has developed.
Contents
The Old Scripts and Arabic Alphabet
The roots of Persian calligraphy are as ancient as the history of Iran itself, with the first scripts being the Old Persian cuneiform and the Pahlavi. However, the Islamic conquest of Persia in 651 AD made a tremendous change with the introduction of the Arabic script to replace older scripts. Simultaneously, Persian scribes adapted the Arabic alphabet, adding four extra letters to the original 28 so it could better fit the sounds of the Persian language. This led to the 32-letter Persian alphabet we know today, a foundation for the many styles of Persian calligraphy to come.
The Kufic Script
After adopting the Arabic script in the 7th century, early Persian calligraphers mainly used Kufic, known for its angular shapes and bold lines. Kufic was ideal for religious and monumental inscriptions: it is found on mosques, coins, and important buildings. Iranian calligraphers soon added their own touches to the Kufic script, making the lines softer and adding beautiful symmetry, fitting the Persian sense of art and balance.
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The Development of the Six Styles of Calligraphy
As Persian calligraphy developed, the famous Persian calligrapher Ibn Muqlah and his brother crated six main styles: Mohaqqaq, Reyhan, Sols (also known as Thuluth), Naskh, Toqi, and Reqa. These styles defined for the first time rules to calligraphy, with specific proportions for each letter to create harmony and beauty.
Ibn Muqlah’s system, known as “proportional script,” transformed Persian calligraphy from a simple writing skill into an art form, where each line and curve had a meaning and followed specific rules. For nearly four centuries, these six styles were practiced by all calligraphers across Persia.
Among those new styles, two specific types of calligraphy became popular during the 11th century: Naskh, derived from the Kufic script and mostly used in books and manuscripts, and Thuluth, popular for decorations and larger inscriptions on mosques and public spaces.
The Ta’liq
During the 12th century, the Ta’liq script appeared as a new combination of the Naskh and the Reqa scripts. Known as “suspension” because of its flowing, connected letters, it soon became a flexible and expressive style. Ta’liq was mostly used for Persian poetry and bureaucratic documents, as it was well suited for writing Persian. By the end of the 13th century, Ta’liq was used in all the chanceries of Persian states.
Nasta’liq: The Jewel of Persian Calligraphy
In the 14th century appeared what would then be named the “bride of calligraphy” and the most famous Persian calligraphy style: Nasta’liq. Developed by Mir Ali Tabrizi, this style combines elements of Naskh and Ta’liq into an elegant and fluid form that seemed to dance across the page.
Perfect for Persian poetry, Nasta’liq captures the rhythm and beauty of Persian language like no other script. That’s why it has been used by poets like Hafez and Rumi, and quickly became the favored style for literature. Nowadays, it remains the most famous form of Persian calligraphy and is admired for its refined, delicate strokes that take years of practice to master.
Shekasteh, the “Broken Script”
In the 17th century, Persian calligraphy took a new step with Shekasteh, or “broken script.” Created as a faster, more practical style of Nasta’liq, Shekasteh is known for its overlapping letters and compact strokes. Even though Shekasteh was first developed for administrative documents, it soon also became appreciated for its beauty. Darvish Abdolmajid Taleqani is considered one of the masters of Shekasteh, bringing creativity and freedom to the style.
Modern Persian Calligraphy
In the 20th century, Persian calligraphy experienced a revival. Artists like Mohammad Ehsai and Reza Mafi brought new life to traditional scripts, combining them with modern abstract art techniques. Today, Persian calligraphy is seen in galleries around the world, sometimes as “calligraffiti”: a mix of calligraphy and street art that introduces Persian calligraphy to a new generation.
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Persian Calligraphy in Art and Architecture
Persian calligraphy is not just used on paper. It also became a major part of Persian art and architecture, as a way to decorate the walls of mosques, palaces, and public buildings. The Shah Mosque in Isfahan is a beautiful example, with intricate Thuluth and Nasta’liq inscriptions in blue and gold tiles.
Calligraphy is also used on ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and even everyday objects, showing the love of Iranians for the written and for the calligraphy as an art. These pieces, that you can find in the bazaars of Isfahan, Shiraz and other Iranian cities, turn ordinary objects into an expression of art and beauty.
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