There
are different viewpoints and theories about the origin of Arabic
calligraphy, some of which are based on legendary and metaphysical
hypotheses with no real grounds. But inscriptions discovered in
the north of the Arab Peninsula have made the origins of Arabic
calligraphy a little clearer. There are several viewpoints about
the origin of Arabic calligraphy, among which are the following:
Divinely inspired
origin:Advocators of
this theory perceive that Arabic writing is bestowed from God, Who
taught Adam (peace and blessings be upon him) all names. Ishmael
(peace and blessings be upon him) was the first to speak the
Arabic language and this was its origin.
Historical
origin: Others link
Arabic calligraphy to the writing of the Himyrite in Yemen. Yet
this opinion does not depend on any physical evidence, as there is
no relation linking the calligraphy of the people of Yemen to the
calligraphy of the Arabs in the north.
Ancient Egyptian
origin: According to
this theory, hieroglyphic writing is the oldest link in the chain
leading to Arabic calligraphy. This is the origin of the Arabic
calligraphy now accepted in the modern age. Hieroglyphic writing,
according to this theory, was changed by the Phoenicians, who
turned it into the alphabet, which they taught to the Greeks in
the 16th century BCE. It then spread from Greece to other parts of
Europe.
Modern opinion:
Having reviewed different viewpoints, advocators of this opinion
believe that the Arabs only became acquainted with writing in the
modern ages as a result of their emigration from the center of the
Arabian Peninsula to the more civilized peripheries. In these
areas, the Arabs gave up their Bedouin style and endorsed more
civilized means of living. They established the Nabataean Kingdom,
with Petra as its capital, and they invented a script derived from
the Aramaic one. This was known afterwards as Nabataean
calligraphy. The Nabataean Kingdom disappeared at the end of the
second century CE, but their script remained and it was used by
the Arabs who moved from the north. Afterwards, Arabic calligraphy
passed through different stages until it reached the current form.
