KAKAYI - Calligraphy - Kalligrafie

 VARIETIES OF SCRIPT
1. Kufic. This is the oldest of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified of the old Syrian script. At the time of the emergence of Islam this type of script was already in use in various parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It was in this script that the first copies of the Qur'an were written.
Kufic is a form of script consisting of straight lines and angles. It is still employed in Islamic countries though it has undergone a number of alterations over the years and also displays regional differences. The difference between the Kufic script used in the Arabian Peninsula and that employed ic is commonly seen on Seljuk coins ad monuments and on early Ottoman coins, its decorative character led to its use as a decorative element in several public and domestic buildings constructed prior to the Republican period.

2. Thuluth. This script made its first appearance in the fourth century of the Hegira. The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique lines. Various types of script invented later could be said to have been derived from Thuluth by the introduction of quite slight changes of form.
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 or Muhakkak, while still later copies (after the fifteenth century) were written in Naskhi.

3. Jeli Thuluth. This term was applied to writings in Thuluth script when the point of the pen employed was at least one centimeter broad. This type of script was used in large panels and for inscriptions carved in stone on buildings or tombstones.

4. Naskhi. This type of script was derived from Thuluth by introducing a number of modifications resulting in smaller size and greater delicacy, It is written using a small, very fine pen known as a cava pen, which makes the script eminently suitable for use in book production. Naskhi was used in copying Qur'ans, Delails, En-ams and Hadiths. It was also used in commentaries on the Qur'an (Tefsir) and in collections of poetry (Divan). It was a very widely used form of script.

5. Muhaqqaq. This is a type of script derived from Thuluth by widening the horizontal sections of the letters in the Thuluth script. It was abandoned after the sixteenth century and only a very few panels and a number of Besmeles in Hilyes describing the virtues and qualities of the Prophet are to be found written in this script.

6. Ruqa'. This type of script could be described as a smooth, round, sinuous form of Naskhi. It used to be employed in the icazets awarded to students of calligraphy.

7. Tewqi. This is a modified and smaller version of Thuluth. It was mostly employed in official state papers and documents.

8. Ta'Iiq. This is a type of script in which all the letters display a tendency towards curved and oblique forms. It was invented in Iran, and the finest writings in this script were to be found in Iran and Azerbaijan. It differs from Thuluth in so far as the spaces between the letters are not filled or decorated with signs or motifs, which has led some calligraphers to describe it as a naked" script. As a result of its bare simplicity it is a type of script in which beauty and perfection are very difficult to achieve. If we glance through the annals of Turkish calligraphy we shall discover that although there have been scores of calligraphers in every period who can write an acceptable Thuluth or Naskhi there have been very few calligraphers capable of writing an acceptable Ta'Iiq.

9. Jali Ta'Iiq. This is the name given to Ta'Iiq script written with a pen having a point measuring one centimetre or more. Large panels and inscriptions carved in stone are to be found written in this script. Turkish calligraphers displayed great skill in the use of this type of script, which was rarely used in Iran, and achieved very great beauty of from. A very fine example of this type of script is the inscription "Elkasib Habibulla" by the calligrapher Sami Effendi (1837-1912) carved in stone above one of the doors of the Covered Market opening out towards Bayezid

10. Diwani. This is a more lively, highly decorated form of Ta'Iiq. From the time of Sultan Selim I onwards it was used by the Turks in writing out fermans (imperial rescripts) and its use in any other type of document was strictly forbidden.

11. Jeli Diwani. This type of script was invented by the Ottomans and consisted of a more complex, ornately embellished and decorated form of Divani. It was employed only in important documents connected with the Sultan or the Saray. It was a rather difficult type of script to read.

12. Siyaqa. The use of this type of script was confined to title deeds, estate and property registers and financial ledgers. It was invented by the Turks and was created with the express intention of keeping the title deeds confidential, as it was impossible for anyone apart from those initiated into the secrets of this script to decipher it.

13. Ruqa. This script was the result of a number of changes introduced into Riga' script. It was developed in response to the need felt for a practical everyday script that could be written with facility and rapidity. Before the introduction of the new Turkish alphabet this script was used in correspondence, petitions and official entries in State documents. Later it greatly improved in beauty of form.

14. Ijaze. This is a rather more delicate form of Thuluth and naskh used only in icazets and in the signature sections of large documents.

15. Gubari. Gubar is the Arabic word for dust, and Gubari refers to a very minute form of script. It is used in the composition of minuscule Qur'ans and in writings set within other calligraphic inscriptions. It survived until the beginning of the twentieth century. A calligrapher by the name of Nun Effendi of Sivas produced a number of very fine compositions in this script, sometimes employing a variety of different colors.