Arabic calligraphy and its employment in Islamic and contemporary architecture

Abstract

The Arabic calligraphy in which the heads of the surahs are written are the same that adorn mosques, schools and palaces, and the editorials of the mothers of books of fiqh, grammar, exegesis and history. The verses of the Holy Qur’an moved from its pages to walls, domes and mihrabs. Al-Karim as the source of all values ​​and themes that the calligraphy carried in the folds of these buildings, as it was present in all Islamic arts.Thus, calligraphy has become an effective cultural medium that carries various contents, starting with architecture and ending with the smallest details of these collectibles and miniatures. The calligraphy carried a sublime and sacred message, the Arabic calligraphy was expressing a religious content in the first place and carrying a documentary aspect that is consistent with the architecture of its religious buildings, and it harmonizes in its details and designs with a more comprehensive decorative system in which the writing motifs harmonize sometimes with the plant motifs and at other times with the geometric motifs, and it remains Calligraphy among all decorations is the strongest and most attention-grabbing art in the visual arts system, due to the cultural aspect of calligraphy and the visual aspect that complements aesthetic formulas. Arabic calligraphy has been linked to Islamic architecture by relationships that distinguished Islamic architecture from any other architecture, as we find the role of calligraphy marginally in the arts of architecture and other cultures, and it did not aspire to be a visual art independent of itself. Islamic motifs, including calligraphy, were distinguished from the rest of the decorations. Other cultures have a unique feature that makes it a special pattern in the concept of decoration. In Western architecture in Europe and in East and South Asia, the decorations come as a sculpture or a drawing completely independent of the construction, that is, it is possible for these decorations to be transmitted from Its location to another place without affecting the shape of the building. While this disappears in Islamic architecture, where the decoration and the surface are one thing, regardless of the construction technique and the type of decoration,The relationship between the surface and the decoration is an integrative relationship, which contributed to its prosperity, and the mental and visual clarity that it achieved. Calligraphy cannot be separated from the building material and its surface from the surrounding decorations, so the circles and lines are considered a continuation of each other, which is the principle of unity and continuity in the philosophy of Islamic art.

Keywords

• the effect of arabic calligraphy
• islamic inscriptions
• the relationship of written motifs to contemporary architecture