THE EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM OF TURKISH AND ISLAMIC ART IN ISTANBUL. Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Throughout history, Quran has been copied into different styles of Arabic script, from kufic or angular to rounded or cursive scripts. The kufic script was prevalent in the early period of Islam, and eventually formed a variety of decorative qualities which led to the development of other styles. The exhibition shows the development of kufic script from the earliest transcriptions of the Quran until the representative examples of manuscripts from the Ottoman period.

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

In order to protect and correctly convey the divine message to future generations Quran needed to be written in a clear and beautiful script that did not lead to any misreading and manipulation. Therefore, for centuries copies of the Quran were prepared by the most famous calligraphers that worked meticulously and expertly.

First used in Hijaz, Kufic script spread to Northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) and Spain after the second half of the 7th century. This script took the name of the area it was used such as Meccan in Mecca, Medani (or Hijazi) in Medina, and Basri in Basra and was improved after Kufa became an important centre, receiving its generic name 'Kufic' afterwards. Different styles led to a classification of Kufic writing as 'Eastern or Oriental Kufic' and 'Western or Maghrebi Kufic'.

Quran Folio, Ummayad period, 8th century, Hijazi script, Verses: Ta-Ha 20 (115-135), Al-Anbiya 21 (97-112), Al-Hajj 22 (1-4) / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Quran, Abbasid period, 9th century, Mashreq Kufic, Verses: Al-Hadid 57 (20-22), Binding: Ottoman period, 18th century / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Juz, Abbasid Period, 10th century, Mashreq Kufic, Verses: Al-Baqarah 2 (8-81) / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Abbasid Period, 10th century, Mashreq Kufic, Verses: An-Nur 24-28, Binding: Safavid Period, 17th century / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Quran, Abbasid period, 993-94, Mashreq Kufic. Calligraphy by Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Yasin b. Isbehan, Verses: Al-An'am 6 (164-165) / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Kufic was the only script form used for writing Mus'haf until the 11th century and as new calligraphy styles emerged, its use with other styles in writing religious, literary and scientific manuscripts as well as Mus'haf. Until the end of the 15th century, the kufic script was used in inscriptions, tombstones and daily life objects, and as a large format script in architecture. Later on, it was preferred by calligraphers who wished to demonstrate their skills. It is still very popular, especially among contemporary calligraphers.

Quran, Seljuk period, 13th century, Surah beginnings in Mashew Kufic, Verses: Al-Hijr 15 (93-99), An-Nahl 16 (1) / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Kufic Script in the Mamluk period (1250-1517) was used only on dedication pages and surah beginnings. Mamluk sultans dedicated magnificent and large-size Quran copies, leading to the preparation of numerous Quran copies in this period. Elaborate Quran copies prepared by famous calligraphers Muhammad b. Suud es Safii, Isa b. Ebu Bekir b. Eyyub, famous illuminators Sandal and his students Aydogdu b. Abdullah el-Bedri and Ali b. Muhammed er-Ressam. Delicate, masterpiece-quality copies of the Quran were made in the Jalaraid period (1340-1432) and the Timurid period (1370-1507), where Kufic was also used on dedication pages and surah beginnings.

Quran, Ilkhanid Period, 1338-39, Illuminated Plate, Al-Baqarah, Ayatul-Kursi in Kufic script / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Qur'an, Mameluk period, 1313-14, Surah beginnings in Mashreq Kufic. Calligraphy by Shazi b. Davud b. Isa b. Abu Bakr b. Ayyub / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Juz, Timurid period, ca. 1430-40, Surah beginnings in Mashreq Kufic, Verses: Ta-Ha 20 (1-7) / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Quran, Timurid period, ca. 1430-40, Illuminated opening page, Surah beginnings in Mashreq Kufic / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Quran, Mameluk period, 14th century, Surah beginnings in Mashreq Kufic, Verses: Yusuf 12 (53-54) / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Art of calligraphy in the Ottoman period (1299/1300-1922) was greatly advanced through Sheikh Hamdullah's (d.1520) establishment of a new Ecole in al-Aqlam as-Sitta (Six Scripts), which would be followed for centuries. Similar to Sheikh Hamdullah's establishment of a new Ecole, Ahmed Karahisari (d.1556) who was closer to Yaqut style, developed a new script design that would leave its mark on the art of calligraphy and that is still not surpassed today, even after 500 years. The kufic script in Ottoman calligraphy was employed in architectural elements and on dedication pages of manuscripts. It is remarkable to see the Kufic script's perpetuation in the 16th century via Ahmed Karahisari's works.

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Album of Ahmed Karahisari, Ottoman Period ca. 1540-1550. Calligrapher: Ahmed Karahisari / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic, Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book', Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The exhibition 'Kufic - Splendid Calligraphy of the Miracle Book' is on view from March 5 until May 10, 2016, at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul.