User:Jheald/sandbox/Kufic

Drawing of an inscription of Basmala in Kufic script, 9th century. The original is in the Islamic Museum in Cairo (Inventar-Nr. 7853)

Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq. although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of Islam, this type of script was already in use in various parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It was in this script that the first copies of the Qur'an were written.

Characteristics

Kufic alphabet, from Fry's Pantographia (1799)

Kufic is a form of script consisting of straight lines and angles, often with elongated verticals and horizontals. It originally did not have consonant pointing distinguishing, for example, b, t, and th. It is still employed in Islamic countries though it has undergone a number of alterations over the years and also displays regional differences. The difference between the Kufic script used in the Arabian Peninsula and that employed in North African states is very marked.

Etymology

Coins and Early Inscriptions

Silver Dirham from the early Islamic Caliphate.

"Classical" Kufic

Kufic script from an early Qur'an manuscript, 7th century.
Surah Al-Baqara written in Kufic form.
Kufic script
Manuscript of the Chapter Mary of the Quran; Kufic script on gazelle skin, 9th c.

"New Style" and "Eastern" Kufic

New Style III (10th century)
New Style I (11th-12th century)
Folio of a Quran in kufic style, ink, color and gold, 11th century, Iran
Khorasan, 5th century AH

"Western" Kufic

Maghrebi 13c.

Ornamental and subsequent use

The flag of Iraq.

Occurrence

Kufic is commonly seen on Seljuk coins and monuments and on early Ottoman coins. Its decorative character led to its use as a decorative element in several public and domestic buildings constructed prior to the Republican period in Turkey.

The current Flag of Iraq uses Kufic script to write ﷲ أكبر Allahu Akbar. The Kufic was chosen as a neutral alternative to the old flag's version of the motto, which is widely believed to be written in the hand of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Gallery

A wooden cross with Arabic calligraphy in Square Kufi style.

External links

Kufic alphabet http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Fry-Pantographia/pages/p004/
On The Origins Of The Kufic Script
Islamic Calligraphy Kufic & script types
Kufic Script
Square Kufic types
Square Kufic Script
(in Turkish) Traditional Turk-Islam Arts
Kufic Encyclopedia
Square Kufic