Persian Calligraphy

Following the advent of Islam in Iran, calligraphy was one of the Iranian arts that expanded and developed dramatically and was used in writing the Holy Qur’an and books. Muslim Iranians believed that, being the words of God Almighty, the Holy Qur’an, should be written in the best possible handwriting and, therefore, the main use of calligraphy was in writing this holy book. Despite the fact that different genres of calligraphy have appeared in Islamic lands, the role of Iranians in the development of this art has been much more outstanding.

Using calligraphy in decorating architectural works was also one of the factors that both helped develop this art and caused the formation of astounding architectural works.

History of Persian Calligraphy

According to the legends and the narrations included in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, the demons taught the art of calligraphy to Tahmuras (the mythological king of Iran) in exchange for being freed from his prison.

However, according to available historical evidence, Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shiite imam (7th century AD) had, during his rule in Kufa, invented a special style of writing, which was called “Kufic”. This style of writing gradually became popular throughout the Islamic territories and inspired by the Kufic script, the art of calligraphy began in the following years.

Apart from being used for writing books and decorating architectural works, calligraphy was also used for decorating pottery works, metal works, and silk and velvet clothes. It, however, seems that the use of calligraphy on silver and gold coins and agate seals was among the first uses of this art in cases other than writing books.

About 400 years after Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), the Samanids (819 to 1004 AD) popularized a new style of Kufic calligraphy. This style of calligraphy was inspired by the decorations used in architecture. Thus, it can be claimed that one factor for the popularization of calligraphic works was the inscriptions that were used in architectural monuments, which were written in Kufic, Thulth, and Naskh scripts.

The Evolution of Persian Calligraphy

Many calligraphy masters have contributed to the evolution of this art. Around the 16th century AD, a calligraphy master in Shiraz created six different styles of Kufic script. About 100 years later, certain rules and regulations for teaching and writing different alphabetic letters were outlined and a script called “Reyhan” was developed by Iranian calligraphers. Calligraphy masters trained many students from different parts of Islamic land. One of these people decorated a large number of buildings in Iraq using the art of Persian calligraphy and wrote 33 copies of the Holy Qur’an during the 13th and 14th centuries AD. A number of these old versions can be found in the museums of Iran and Europe.

Some of the great Iranian calligraphy masters include Mir Emad Hassani Qazvini (1554 to 1615 AD) - who was so skilled in calligraphy that today good calligraphy is called “Mir calligraphy” - and Gholamhossein Amirkhani (born in 1940 AD) who is considered the greatest contemporary master of Persian calligraphy.

Evolution of Persian Calligraphy During the Reign of Different Governments

During the reign of the Ilkhanate (1256 to 1356 AD), even though it was of Mongol origin, calligraphy became very popular. One of the most beautiful works left from this period is a 65 x 54 cm copy of the Holy Qur’an whose letters are written with gold. The Timurid (1370 to 1506 AD), too, strongly supported the art of calligraphy, and a number of non-religious books such as the famous Baysunghur Shahnameh were scripted during this period.

A new style of calligraphy, which became known as “Ta’liq” (meaning suspended) was created during the Timurid era and thereafter the Nastaliq script was created by combining two styles of “Naskh” and “Ta’liq”; a script, which according to some experts is the most beautiful style of calligraphy. Despite the fact that since the creation of Nastaliq, many artists tried to remove it by introducing new writing styles, this script remained quite popular and it is now considered the most popular and beautiful Persian script among Iranian calligraphers.

The interest of the Safavids (1501 to 1736 AD) in this art strengthened its growing trend and caused the emergence of several renowned calligraphy masters like Mir Emad Qazvini - one of the most famous masters of Nastaliq style of calligraphy, who scripted several works, including Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and Jami’s poems.

Persian Calligraphy in Other Countries

Apart from Iran, the Nastaliq script found its way to Türkiye and India and many people got interested in it. A style of Nastaliq calligraphy called “Shekasteh” (lit. broken) became popular in India.

Stages of Innovation in Persian Calligraphy

In the 16th century AD, a new art was inspired by calligraphy, which became known as “Qatai” or “Kaghazabori”. The product of this work of art was a combination of calligraphy, gold leaf, border decoration, etc. Later on, miniature, floral, and arabesque designs were also used to decorate Nashq and Nastaliq scripts and became known as the “Golzar” style.

Another style that developed with the help of calligraphy was “Masvadeh” (meaning draft). This style was born from the creative combination of different designs and styles. The use of calligraphy on coins, seals, clothes, and paintings was one of the steps that helped the progress of calligraphy.

What has strengthened the art of Persian calligraphy is the rich Iranian literature and in spite of the expansion of the printing industry calligraphy continues to be popular art in Iran.

The art of Persian calligraphy was inscribed on the list of UNESCO as an intangible world heritage in the year 2022.

Persian calligraphy or Iranian calligraphy is one of the most revered arts of Iran, which has gradually evolved and many calligraphers have contributed to different genres of this art. Nastaliq is an outstanding genre of Persian calligraphy that has come to be known as the most beautiful human calligraphy.