Thuluth
Encyclopedia
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy, colloquially known as Perso-Arabic calligraphy, is the artistic practice of handwriting, or calligraphy, and by extension, of bookmaking, in the lands sharing a common Islamic cultural heritage. This art form is based on the Arabic script, which for a long time was used by all...
invented by the Persian Ibn Muqlah Shirazi, which made its first appearance in the 11th century CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
(fourth Hijri
Hijri year
The Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
). The straight angular forms of Kufic
Kufic
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq, although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of...
were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique
Oblique
Oblique may refer to:*Oblique angle, in geometry, an angle that is not a multiple of 90 degrees*Oblique angle, synonym for Dutch angle, a cinematographic technique*Oblique , by jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson...
lines. In Thuluth, one-third of each letter slopes, from which the name (meaning "a third" in Arabic) comes. It is a large and elegant, cursive
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
script, used in medieval times on mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
decorations. Various calligraphic styles evolved from Thuluth through slight changes of form.
History
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in three successive steps that Ottoman Art Historians
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
call "Calligraphical Revolutions":
- The first "revolution" occurred in the 15th Century and was initiated by the Master Calligrapher Şeyh Hamdullah,
- The second revolution occurred as a result of the Ottoman Calligrapher Hâfız OsmanHafiz OsmanThis article is about a modern footballer. For the 17th century calligrapher, see Hâfiz Osman.Hafiz Osman is a professional soccer player who plays for the Singapore Armed Forces Football Club in the S.League and the Singapore national football team.He is a natural right full back.-International...
in the 17th Century,
- Finally, Mehmed Şevkî Efendi in the late 19th Century, gave the script the distinctive shape it has today.
Artists
The best known artist to write the Thuluth script at its zenith is said to be Mustafa Rakım Efendi, a painter who set a standard in Ottoman calligraphy which many believe has not been surpassed to this day.Usage
Thuluth was used to write the headings of surahSura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
s, Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic chapters. Some of the oldest copies of the Qur'an were written in Thuluth. Later copies were written in a combination of Thuluth and either Naskhi
Naskh (script)
Naskh is a specific calligraphic style for writing in the Arabic alphabet, thought to be invented by the Iranian calligrapher Ibn Muqlah Shirazi . The root of this Arabic term means "to copy". It either refers to the fact that it replaced its predecessor, Kufic script, or that this style allows...
or Muhakkak
Muhakkak
Muhaqqaq is a type of calligraphic script in Arabic derived from Thuluth by widening the horizontal sections of the letters in the Thuluth script....
, while after the 15th century Naskhi came to be used exclusively.
This font is much seen in Flag of Saudi Arabia
Flag of Saudi Arabia
The flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973. It is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic inscription and a sword. The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script...
where its text, Shahada al Tawhid
Tawhid
Tawhid is the concept of monotheism in Islam. It is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds God is one and unique ....
, is written in Thuluth.
Style
An important aspect of Thuluth script is the use of Harakat ("Hareke" in Turkish) for representing vowel sounds, and other marks that were created to beautify the script. The grammatical Harakat follows the normal rules for any Arabic script, but the 'Art' markings follow their own rules in relation to placement and grouping. One common grouping technique is to separate the marks written below letters from those written above. The stylistic rules allow for great creativity as to shape and orientation.Scripts developed from Thuluth
Since its creation thuluth has given rise to a variety of script used in calligraphy, and allowed numerous modifications during its course of evolution. Jeli ThuluthJeli Thuluth
Jeli Thuluth is a calligraphic variety of Arabic script. This term was applied to writings in Thuluth script when the point of the pen employed was at least one centimeter broad. Jeli Thuluth was used in large panels and for inscriptions carved in stone on buildings or tombstones.-External links:* ...
was developed to be used in large panels, such as tombstone etc. Muhaqqaq calligraphy script was developed by widening the horizontal sections of the letters in Thuluth. Naskh
Naskh (script)
Naskh is a specific calligraphic style for writing in the Arabic alphabet, thought to be invented by the Iranian calligrapher Ibn Muqlah Shirazi . The root of this Arabic term means "to copy". It either refers to the fact that it replaced its predecessor, Kufic script, or that this style allows...
script was also developed from thuluth, by introducing a number of modifications resulting in smaller size and greater delicacy. Tevki
Tevki
Tevki is a calligraphic variety of Arabic script. It is a modified and smaller version of Thuluth.It was mostly employed in official state papers and documents in the Ottoman Empire....
is a modified and smaller version of Thuluth .
Ruq'ah was probably derived from the Thuluth and Naskh styles, the later itself being originated from thuluth.