Kufic Calligraphy: Development and Styles
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts. The name of the script derives from Kufa, a city in southern Iraq which was considered an intellectual center within the early Islamic period. The Kufic script was developed around the seventh century CE, where it was extensively and exclusively used to copy the Qur’an by theorders of one of the Rashidien Caliph, Uthman bin Affan, until the eleventh century. The Kufic script is a style of Arabic script that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts. It developed from the Arabic alphabet in the city of Kufa, from which its name is derived.
Characteristics of Kufic Script
Kufic is characterized by angular, rectilinear letterforms and its horizontal orientation. The main characteristic of the Kufic script “appears to be the transformation of the ancient cuneiform script into the Arabic letters,” according to Enis Timuçin Tan.Moreover, it was characterized by figural letters that were shaped in a way to be nicely written on parchment, building and decorative objects like lusterware and coins.
Kufic script is composed of geometrical forms like straight lines and angles along with verticals and horizontals. Originally, Kufic did not have what is known as a differentiated consonant, which means, for example, that the letters “t”, “b”, and “th” were not distinguished by diacritical marks and looked the same. During the first few centuries in Islam, Arabic was written without any vowel marks or dots as how the Arabic script can be seen today. This is because there was no need for these helping markers; the early Muslims were Arabs, and thus could read the Qur’an without any help. However, this changed when Islam became a multinational and multiracial religion. The need for vowel marking and dots to denote different sounds and establish differences between similar-looking characters arose, and they remain today in the Qur’an. The Kufic script dots are sometimes done in red ink. It is believed that ascribe named Abdul Aswad was the first to use these markings in 1310 CE.
Usage of Kufic Script
The Quran was first written in a plain, slanted, and uniform script but, when its content was formalized, a script that denoted authority emerged. This coalesced into what is now known as Primary Kufic script. Kufic was prevalent in manuscripts from the 7th to10th centuries. Around the 8th century, it was the most important of several variants ofArabic scripts with its austere and fairly low vertical profile and a horizontal emphasis.Until about the 11th century, it was the main script used to copy the Quran. Professionalcopyists employed a particular form of Kufic for reproducing the earliest surviving copiesof the Quran, which were written on parchment and date from the 8th to 10th centuries.In later Kufic Qurans of the ninth and early tenth century, “the sura headings were moreoften designed with the sura title as the main feature, often written in gold, with apalmette extending into the margin,” comments Marcus Fraser.One impressive example of an early Quran manuscript, known as the Blue Quran,features gold Kufic script on parchment dyed with indigo. It is commonly attributed tothe early Fatimid or Abbasid court. The main text of this Quran is written in gold ink, thusthe effect on looking at the manuscript is of gold on blue.Regional Variations and Styles of KuficThere were no set rules of using the Kufic script; the only common feature is the angular,linear shapes of the characters. Due to the lack of standardized methods, the scripts indifferent regions and countries and even down to the individuals themselves havedifferent ways to write in the script creatively, ranging from very square and rigid formsto flowery and decorative.
Several regional variations of Kufic script developed over time:
Magribi (Moroccan or Western) Kufic
The Maghribi Kufic script is still rigid, linear and thick, however it features a significantamount of curves and loops as opposed to the original Arabic Kufic script. Loops for thecharacters such as the Waw and the Meem are pronounced and perhaps moreexaggerated.
Kufi Mashriqi (Eastern Kufic)
A thinner, cursive and decorative form of Kufic found in eastern regions. The nib of thepen used to write in this form of Kufi is thinner, and it is more cursive with somecharacters given long, cursive strokes. However, it is still within the angular vocabularyof the Kufic script.
Fatimi Kufi
Prevalent in the North African region, particularly in Egypt. Since the script is verystylized and decorative, this form was mainly used in the decoration of buildings. AFatimi Kufi script can be seen with decoration among the characters such as theinclusion of the Endless Knot or vegetal motif both in the character itself and as abackground motif.
Square Kufic (Murabba’ Kufi)
Square or geometric Kufic is a very simplified rectangular style widely used for tiling. It isabsolutely straight with no decorative accents or curves shown. Due to this absoluterigidity, this type of script can be created using square tiles or bricks. It is popular in Iranand in Turkey, where in the latter, it was popular as a decoration of buildings during theOttoman empire.
Decorative Kufic
Mainly used for daily items such as plates, bowls, vases or ewers. Too often, theinscriptions done in this script are barely readable, because of the heavy decorating. Aletter may disappear in the extensive decorating that could include turning the lettersinto vegetal forms such as vines and leaves, or written very thinly with exaggeratedvertical lines and curves.6. Ghaznavid and Khourasan ScriptsIn Iran, in addition to the Kufi Mashriqi script (which was also referred to as the Piramouzscript), there are also more forms of the script known as the Ghaznavid and Khourasanscripts. The scripts were mostly used for monument decoration and also for coinage, aswell as daily items. The Khourasan script is as thick as the Original Arabic Kufic script,but added with a simple flair for each character. The Ghaznavid Kufi has elongatedvertical lines and rounded ends with decoration around the characters.
Ornamental Use of Kufic Script
Ornamental Kufic became an important element in Islamic art as early as the eighthcentury for Quranic headings, numismatic inscriptions and major commemorativewritings. The Kufic script is inscribed on textiles, coins, lusterware, buildings and so on.Coins were very important in the development of the Kufic script. In fact, “the letterstrokes on coins, had become perfectly straight, with curves tending toward geometricalcircularity by 86”, observes Alain George. As an example, Kufic is commonly seen onSeljuk coins and monuments and on early Ottoman coins.In Iran sometimes entire buildings are covered with tiles spelling sacred names likethose of God, Muhammad and Ali in square Kufic, a technique known as banna’i.There is also “Pseudo-Kufic”, also “Kufesque”, which refers to imitations of the Kuficscript, made in a non-Arabic context, during the Middle Ages or the Renaissance. Theartistic styling of Kufic led to its use in a non-Arabic context in Europe, as decoration onarchitecture.
Decline and Legacy
Around the 11th century, Kufic began to be replaced with more cursive scripts such asNaskh and Thuluth for Quranic copying. Thuluth script is distinguished from Kufic scriptin its use of decorative elements whereas the latter was designed to avoid decorativemotifs. In place of the decorations in Kufic scripts, Thuluth used vowels.However, Kufic continued to be used for decorative purposes in architecture, coins, andother ornamental contexts due to its distinctive aesthetic qualities. Its influence can stillbe seen in modern Islamic art and design, and it remains an important part of theIslamic calligraphic tradition.III. Important Historical Figures in Arabic CalligraphyThe development of Arabic calligraphy as a refined art form was largely shaped bymaster calligraphers who established the foundational principles and styles that wouldinfluence generations to come. These historical figures not only perfected the technicalaspects of calligraphy but also elevated it to a high art form with spiritual and culturalsignificance.