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Arabic Calligraphy Lecture*

 

Slideshow #1: The Thuluth Script

The Thuluth script was invented during the 7th century, during the Umayyad Caliphate. It is used primarily as an ornamental script, derived from the Naskh script. It differs from Naskh only in the proportion of its curves and strokes, which are typically three times bigger. Thuluth is written with a broad pen. The alif begins with a short upward stroke in the upper right corner and ends with a slight curve at its lower left. One of the typical characteristics of the Thuluth script is a searching pattern in eye movement, and a bottom-to-top narrative structure. In the following examples, the linear pattern of the text is variable, and the eye is sometimes directed in a bottom-to-top movement, and sometimes in the standard right-to-left linear movement. This leads the eye to searching movements. One of the effects of this is some initial confusion about where the quotation starts, and how to read it. The Thuluth script made ornamentation a more important esthetic than communication. Ease and clarity of reading is sacrificed in favor of ornamentation.  Furthermore, the shapes of the letters are often distorted in order to shape the passage into a design pattern. In other words,  the artistic communication is foregrounded and the linguistic communication is backgrounded. Thuluth scripts tend to be highly parenthetical. This is in part because the ornamental script takes up so much space on the paper; extended passages could not be written. Rather, most often the Thuluth script presents the reader with a quotation or allusion that directs the reader's mind to a different text. Thuluth texts allude mainly to the Koran.

 

FIG 1

And among His Signs is this, that He created you (Adam)

from dust, and then [Eve from Adam's rib, and his offspring

from the semen, and], -behold you are human beings scattered!

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 30, Ar-Rum, Verse: 21)

 

Here, as in most Thuluth script, the first word is the lower rightmost. Thereafter, the eye must make scanning movements to determine the next word in the quotation; it is not intuitively obvious because the scrip is so highly stylized. Furthermore, it is interesting to note the line on the far left, which has a completely vertical eye movement in contrast to the rest of the passage. Note that the voweling is often non-functional; the superfluous vowels appear to have been written into the text out of the horror vacui esthetic typical of Arab arts. Note that this passage forms an oval. Thuluth texts are often crafted to form a design such as this, and it is achieved through a distortion of the shapes of the letters. Note that the two kaafs in the top center of the design are of varying size, as are all of the alifs in the text. Their size is not determined by any rule (eg, English letters have conventional shapes and proportions), but rather by the design pattern. A vertical esthetic is created by the elongated alifs and the three-dimensional effect of alifs piercing the strokes of other letters. This is further emphasized by the bottom-to-top structure of the passage. The esthetics of verticality, and a three-dimensional esthetic, further detracts from textuality or linearity. In other words, this is more a picture than a text. This is not an easy passage to read. I showed it to several Arab friends and to my Arabic professor and it took all of them some time to figure it out. For the Arabic student such as me, it is extremely difficult.

 

FIG2

Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 4, An-Nisa', Verse: 103.)

 

Here the text creates three linear eye movements and two vertical bottom-to-top movements. With the vertical movements, the words are broken in half, with the second half appearing above the first. This passage forms a square, again through the distortion of size. The last letter of the passage, the ta on the rightmost side, has been broken from its word  in order to form the side of the square in parallel with the leftmost alif, which begins the passage. Furthermore, note the three center verticals (an alif and two laams) creating a parallel with the three alifs on the right. Also, observe that the two broken words have a parallel visual structure. The esthetics of visual form is a primary concern at the expense of the linguistic act.

 

FIG3

Verily, for the Muttaqun [i.e. pious and righteous person who

fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds

which He has forbidden), and love Allah much (perform all

kinds of good deeds which He has ordained) are Gardens of

delight (Paradise) with their Lord

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 68, Al-Qalam, Verse: 34.)

 

At the very top of the page we see the opening lines of the Koran (In the name of God, the most holy, the most benevolent) presented in linear format. Note that this passage serves to frame the rest of the passage, and a framing effect is further created by the rightmost alif and the leftmost parallel. The passage is layered in an ascending order, one line on top of another, giving a pyramid-like structure to eye movement. Superfluous voweling of FIG1 has been taken a step further; here we not only have superfluous vowels, but vowel-like, non-functional decorative designs, inserted once again to create a horror vacui effect.

 

FIG4

If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none

but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings)".

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 14, Ibrahim, Verse: 7.)

Note the immensely distorted center kaaf, which creates a sort of nexus around which all of the other words, letters, and superfluous voweling orbit. Furthermore, note the size difference between the two kaafs in the text; the aforementioned kaaf is three times bigger than the other! Note that this text forms an oval.

FIG5

Mohammed is the messenger of Allah.

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 48, Al-Fat'h, verse: 29)

We see in FIG5 that the eye is directed in five movements; three vertical and two horizontal. Furthermore, the last word of the text, Allah, appears as the uppermost word, giving it the most prominent position in the design; however, this gives the text its bottom-to-top orientation.  Note that this text forms a triangle, and once again there is ample superfluous voweling to form the horror vacui effect.

The size and shapes of letters are grossly distorted. Note, for example, that the daal in Mohammad is larger than the ra in Rasool which follows.

FIG6

Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be

worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One who sustained

and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep

overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens

and whatever in on earth. Who is he that can intercede with

him except with His Permission? He knows what happens

to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen

to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass

anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His

Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels

no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the

Most High, the Most Great.

(From the Holy Koran, Surah 2, Al-Baqarah, V255.)

This text is particularly interesting because the first word of the text, Allah, is again given the most prominent position in the center, and the following text revolves around it. This gives some interesting connotations, such as Allah is the center, everything flows around Allah, etc. Here linearity is sacrificed almost entirely in favor of the circular text, so that the reader must either turn the paper in a circular motion to read it, or must continually be reorienting her head

FIG7

That which Allah wills (will come to pass)

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 18, Al-Kahf, Verse: 39)

Here the text again creates bottom-to-top eye movement. The final word of the text, Allah, is given the center of the page, with the first two words surrounding it, and the quotation is capped off with an entirely decorative crown on top. Once again, ornamentation has taken precedence over communication.

FIG8

And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never you will be

able to count them

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 14, Ibrahim, Verse: 34.)

FIG9

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.

(The Holy Koran, Surah: 13, Ar-Ra'd, Verse: 28.)

FIG10

Verily Allah is pleased by all that is beauty. (A common saying)

Esthetically this is perhaps the most beautiful example of Thuluth we have observed. The esthetics are achieved entirely at the expense of linguistic function, however; note that the words are in a completely jumbled order. Indeed, the first word is located in the center of the text!

Note the pattern of six verticals in the center of the text. These verticals are filled with a non-functional pattern of dammas, to create a particularly beautiful horror vacui effect. These verticals parallel the upward strokes in Allah at the top of the text. At the bottom of the text, note the three circular patterns; these, however, are achieved at the expense of linguistic clarity; for example, in the center circle, a final-form jeem is used in the frontal position, which makes reading extremely difficult. Observe also the awkward structure of this word Jamaal; one must spend considerable time studying the word to decipher it!

FIG11

Allah Has taught man that which he knew not.

(From the Holy Koran, Surah: 96, AL-Alaq, Verse: 5.)

 

 

 

 

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