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The Kufi Script: Flexible and Accurate
Many
wrongly believe that the Kufi handwriting refers to its origin in
Kufa. This is not true; the name refers to the special attention
and interest that the Kufa paid to this kind of handwriting, not
to its origin.
As
stated, the Kufa paid special attention to this firm script,
polishing and decorating its letters. This script was thus known
as the Kufi script and it mainly goes back to Hiri or Anbari
calligraphy. It was called Kufi handwriting as it spread from the
Kufa to other parts of the Islamic world with the conquerors in
the blooming age of Kufa.
The
Kufa produced two main types of scripts:
1. Solid heavy script. This is known as the ceremonial script
or al-khat al-tizkari, which was normally written on
solid materials such as stone or wood. It was known for its
beauty and decorative nature. Sometimes it avoided any
points or association between the letters.
2. Flexible script. This script is easy to write. This style
of handwriting moved away from the Madinah script to the
Kufa. It was known as the editorial script because it was
used for correspondence, registrations, and writings.
The
combination of both kinds of handwriting brought about a third
type, which was known for its beauty and elegance; this was the
handwriting that was used in writing the Qur’an and it combines
both firmness and flexibility. It remained the favorite script
during the first three centuries of Islam. Several artistic and
decorative kinds were derived from the Kufi script and were
divided by the historians of Islamic art into the following types:
1.
The Simple Kufi script, which is a plain script with no
leaf-like ornaments, adornment, or plaiting. This script
spread in the nascent Islamic world and remained the most
favored style of handwriting in the western Islamic world
until later ages. Chief among these examples are the
writings found on the top of the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem.
2. The Vegetal script, which has leaf-like decorations, its
letters ending with vertical strokes. This type blossomed in
Egypt and spread to both the east and west of the known
Islamic world.
3.
The Connected Braided Kufi script, whose ornamentations
accompanying it are highly complicated to an extent that
makes it sometimes difficult to distinguish between the
elements of the script and the ornamentation. Letters of the
same word may be braided, and sometimes two words or more
are joined in a beautiful framework of braiding.
4.
The Geometric Kufi, known for its straight elements, acute
angles, and geometric features. This form of Kufi script is
prevalent in Iran and Iraq. It is a purely decorative kind
of handwriting, and the intertwining of its letters
sometimes makes it difficult to decipher the sentences.
*
Ahmed Ebeed is the head of Information Unit in IOL. He has a
deep interest in Arabic calligraphy. You can reach him at ahmed.ebeed@iolteam.com
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