Though this script is evidently ancient, it is simultaneously distinctly modern. Thuluth is certainly beautiful and deserving of its popularity, but the often under-appreciated square Kufic style has much to offer, particularly to today’s designers. This is in stark contrast to the flowing swirls and loops typical of the Thuluth style - a variation of Naskh, and probably the most universally recognizable form of Arabic calligraphy. The most distinct form of Kufic is the square Kufic style, which simplifies the Arabic letters into their most basic rectangular shapes. Kufic pervaded early Islamic art, but gradually fell out of favor as calligraphers adopted the Naskh style as their primary script for documents and manuscripts around 1,000 years ago. It is named for the city of Kufah (today in Iraq), where the script is thought to have originated. The earliest manuscripts of the Quran were written using this script until around the 10th century, and it decorates the walls of countless mosques and shrines across the Middle East and beyond. In a sentence, Kufic is the oldest form of Arabic calligraphy, dating from about 1,400 years ago.

History Origin of the Kufic script Ĭalligraphers in the early Islamic period used a variety of methods to transcribe Qur’an manuscripts.You might know something about Arabic calligraphy, but are you familiar with Kufic? Chances are you might be missing out on one of Arabic’s greatest art forms.

Arabic calligraphy became one of the most important branches of Islamic Art. Calligraphers came out with the new style of writing called Kufic. Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts. The name of the script derives from Kufa, a city in southern Iraq which was considered as an intellectual center within the early Islamic period. Kufic is defined as a highly angular form of the Arabic alphabet originally used in early copies of the Qur’an. Blair suggests that 'the name Kufic was introduced to Western scholarship by Jacob George Christian Adler (1756–1834).' Furthermore, the Kufic script plays an important role in the development of Islamic calligraphy. In fact, 'it is the first style of Islamic period writings in which the manifestation of art, delicacy and beauty are explicitly evident' says Salwa Ibraheem Tawfeeq Al-Amin. The rule set for this writing was about the angular, linear shapes of the characters. In fact, 'the rules that were defined at the outset of the Kufic tradition essentially remained the same throughout its lifespan' says Alain George. Leaf from the Blue Qur'an (second half 9th-mid-10th century) manuscript copied in Medieval Tunisia, possibly Qairawan, or in Islamic Iberia during the mid-9th century. The Qur'an was first written in a plain, slanted, and uniform script but, when its content was formalized, a script that denoted authority emerged. This coalesced into what is now known as Primary Kufic script.

Square Kufi Font