Timeline of Arabic Script and Kufic Calligraphy
Here is a timeline of the historical developments of the Arabic script and Kufic calligraphy, enriched with additional information, relics, and milestones:
| Time Period | Development | Key Relics and Examples |
| 4th Century CE | Early Arabic script emerges, influenced by the Nabataean script, which itself derives from the Aramaic script. | Nabataean inscriptions in Petra (modern-day Jordan) show the transition from Aramaic to early Arabic forms. |
| 6th Century CE | Pre-Islamic Arabic script develops further, used for inscriptions | The Namara Inscription (328 CE), an early Arabic inscription, is a key example of pre-Islamic script. |
| 7th Century CE | Kufic calligraphy becomes the primary script for transcribing the Quran. | Early Quranic manuscripts in Kufic script, such as fragments found in the Great Mosque of Sana’a, Yemen. |
| 7th Century CE (Later) | Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali introduces diacritical marks to the Arabic script to ensure accurate Quranic recitation. | Early Quranic manuscripts with diacritical marks, attributed to Abu al-Aswad’s system. |
| 8th Century CE | Kufic calligraphy becomes widely used across the Islamic empire for Quranic manuscripts and architectural inscriptions. | The Samarkand Quran (8th century), one of the oldest surviving Quranic manuscripts in Kufic script. |
| 9th Century CE | Decorative Kufic styles emerge, incorporating geometric and floral motifs. The Blue Quran is produced, showcasing the luxurious use of Kufic script. | The Blue Quran (9th century), written in gold Kufic script on indigo-dyed parchment, believed to have been created in North Africa. |
| 10th Century CE | Ibn Muqla develops the principles of proportion in Arabic calligraphy, influencing the transition from Kufic to cursive scripts. | Manuscripts and inscriptions reflecting Ibn Muqla’s proportional system. |
| 11th Century CE | Ibn al-Bawwab refines Kufic and other scripts, elevating the artistic quality of Quranic manuscripts. | Quranic manuscripts attributed to Ibn al-Bawwab, showcasing his mastery of Kufic and cursive scripts. |
| 13th Century CE | Yaqut al-Musta’simi perfects the use of the reed pen and introduces innovations in script design, marking the culmination of classical Kufic calligraphy. | Manuscripts and inscriptions by Yaqut al-Musta’simi, demonstrating his innovations in Kufic and other scripts. |
| Seljuk Period (11th–13th Century CE) | Square Kufic (Ma’qili/murabba/bennai) style develops, used extensively in architectural decorations. | Architectural inscriptions in Square Kufic, such as those on Seljuk mosques and madrasas. |
| Mamluk Period (13th–16th Century CE) | Memluki Kufic style emerges, characterized by intricate and ornate designs. | Mamluk-era Quranic manuscripts and architectural inscriptions in Memluki Kufic. |
| Ottoman Period (14th–20th Century CE) | Square Kufic continues to be used in Ottoman architecture, blending with other decorative elements. | Ottoman mosques in Istanbul, such as the Süleymaniye Mosque, featuring Square Kufic inscriptions. |
| Modern Era (20th–21st Century) | Kufic calligraphy inspires contemporary art, graphic design, and architecture. | Modern artworks, public installations, and digital designs incorporating Kufic-inspired elements. |
Bibliography for kufi
A.J. Arberry, Interpreted Qur`an
* Şahin Uçar. Dîvân, Tevhid Kasidesi, Şule YY. istanbul 2012
Muhammed Antakî / el Vecîz fî Fıkh ül-Lüga Darü’ş-Şark Neşriyat, 1969
* Saul Kripke, Naming and Necessity, Harward University Press, 1980
* Old Testament . Genesis II, 13-14.
The Bible, Corinthians, 13,11 “Videmus nunc per speculum in aenigmate: tunc autem facie ad faciem. Nunc cognosco ex parte: tunc autem cognoscam sicut et cognitus sum.”
* Donald Hofmann , Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See (1998)
* Şahin Uçar, İnsan, Varlık ve Zaman, lslam Araştırmaları Dergisi. Sayı 6. 2001. 1 ) 7- 1 54
*. Old Testament, Ecclesiastes, 8
Alfred Korzybski, Science and Sanity, an introduction to non-Aristotlian systems and general semantics, New York 1994
Sextus Empiricus. Against the Logicians trans. R.G. Bury (Loeb edn) (London: W. Heinemann, 1935) p. 179
William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, a study in human nature, Gifford Lectures, Edinburgh, 1901-1902, New American Library, 1958
* Şahin Uçar, Insanin Yeryüzü Macerasi, Tarih Üzerine, Şule yy. İstanbul 2011
Will Durant The Lessons of History, Simon and Schuster, New York,1968
Carl L. Becker, Carl L. Becker – AHA, https://www.historians.org/presidential-address/carl-l-becker/
The Quest of for Meaning Throughout Time, jomardpublishing.com, ISLAMIC HISTORY AND LITERATURE Vol.1, No.2, 2023, pp.111-134
Stephen j. Shoemaker, Creating the Qur`an, Universıty of California Press, 2022
15. Aviezer Tucker, A Companion to the Philosophy of History and Historiography
Old Testament, Genesis 25:12–18 Toledot of Ishmael (genealogy)
Ishmael – Wikipedia.F. Bacon, Essays, On the Studies.
Irvin Cemil Schick, Türk Matbuatında Hüsn-i Hat Literatürüne Toplu bir Bakış Türkiye Araştırmaları Literatür Dergisi, Cilt 7, Sayı 14, 2009, 249-273
Monuments · The Kufic Script: Form Follows Function · CB 51 Omeka
16. Art of Qur`an, Was a woman the first editor of the Qur’an. https://www.medievalists.net/2023/06/woman-editor-quran/
Blair, S. Islamic Calligraphy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2006
N. Abbott, The Rise Of The North Arabic Script And Its Kur’anic Development, 1939, op. cit., p. 17.
“İslam Kültür Mirasında Hat Sanatı” (The Art of Calligraphy in Islamic Cultural Heritage), written by Nihad M. Çetin and published by IRCICA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uthmanic_codex
Muhammed b. İshak en-Nedim, el -Fihrist, Türkiye Yazma Eserler Kurumu, 2019
Alain George, `The Qurʾan, Calligraphy, and the Early Civilization of Islam`, p.109. A companion to Islamic art and architecture : from the Mongols to modernism, Edited by Finbarr Barry Flood and Gülru Necipoğlu, 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 109
T. Altikulaç, Hz. Osman’a Nisbet Edilen Mushaf– I Şerîf (Kahire El-Meşhedü’l-Hüseynî Nüshası), 2009, Volume I,
S. al-Munajjid, Dirāsāt fī Tārīkh al-Khatt al-ʿArabī Mundhu Bidayatihi ilā Nihayat al-ʿAsr al-Umawi (French Title: Etudes De Paleographie Arabe), 1972
26.Samarkand Kufic Quran .https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkand_Kufic_Quran
29. Topkapi manuscript: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkapi_manuscript
30. Codex Mashhad /https://codexmashhad.com/en/home/#:~:text=It%20consists%20of%20two%20ancient%20Qur%CA%BE%C4%81nic%20manuscripts%20numbered,folios%20containing%20over%2095%25%20of%20the%20Qur%CA%BE%C4%81nic%20text.
31. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanaa_manuscript Sanaa manuscript/
32. https://www.islamic-awareness.org/quran/text/mss/alisanaa The “Qur’an Of Ali b. Abi Talib”
George, Alain , 2009, ‘Calligraphy, Colour and Light in the Blue Qur’an’, Journal of Qur’anic Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 75-125. https://doi.org/10.3366/E146535910900059X
S. al-Munajjid, Dirāsāt fī Tārīkh al-Khatt al-ʿArabī Mundhu Bidayatihi ilā Nihayat al-ʿAsr al-Umawi
Adolf Grohmann, Arabische palaeographie, Wien : Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1971
Alain George, `The Qurʾan, Calligraphy, and the Early Civilization of Islam`, p.109. A companion to Islamic art and architecture : from the Mongols to modernism, Edited by Finbarr Barry Flood and Gülru Necipoğlu, 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p.109
Encyclopedia britannica – Arabic, Scripts, Art | BritannicaAlain George, The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy, Lebanon, 2010, p.55
Joumana Medlej. From her website Mejnoune.com
University of Michigan Library online Sacred Hands | The Qur’an: Early transcription ·
https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/sacred-hands/early-qur-anic-transcription
Endülüs ve Mağrib”te Kufi Hattının Tarihi Gelişimi. Abdülkadir YILMAZ https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/28715 p.135 28715
Tan, Enis Timuçin (1999). “A Study of Kufic Script in Islamic Calligraphy and Its relevance to Turkish Graphic Art Using Latin Fonts in the late twentieth century”: 42. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudo-Kufic
Ennio. G. Napolitano, Arabic inscriptions and pseudo ınscription ın Italian art, Researchgate.net Universıtyof Bamberg
“Tarih Felsefesi Açısından Mülk ve Hilafet [Sovereignty and Caliphate from the Perspective of the Philosophy of History] fourth edition by Şûle yy. Istanbul, July, 2011
***George, A. (2003). The geometry of the Qurʾān of Amājūr: A preliminary study of pro portion in early Islamic calligraphy. Muqarnas, XX, 1–15.