6 Styles of Arabic Calligraphy
                     6 
Styles 
of 
Arabic 
Calligra
phy
Naqsh School of Arts
1. Arabic calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing using the letters of the Quran. Islamic 
calligraphy emerged between the 8th and 10th centuries, and later it continued to 
develop more artistically and under different rules.
2. The basis of Islamic calligraphy is the letters of the Quran. Since these letters are the 
word of Allah, they are subtle, elegant, and unique. This situation has been a source 
of inspiration and enthusiasm for the calligraphers who practice it.
3. Islamic Arabic Calligraphy:
4. The calligrapher sits down to write, has complete physical and psychological control 
over the quill or pen, and writes his lines with sure strokes. It sometimes took years of 
practice to master this art.
5. The works of a master calligrapher were everywhere admired, preserved, considered 
precious, and bought at exorbitant prices by collectors. Kufi calligraphy, which 
emerged in the 7th century as the writing of the Quran, is an angular style of writing 
and is the oldest known type of writing. It is named after the Iraqi city of Kufa.
6. The Kufic writing style quickly spread wherever Islam spread at this time and became 
a script accepted by everyone.
7. Inscriptions prepared in this way were then engraved on stone for buildings, 
embroidered in materials with knitting or embroidery as ornaments.
1. The Kufic style of writing retained its characteristic of being the writing of 
the Quran until the 12th century. However, later, with the spread of Islam to 
other countries and regions, new influences and directions came into play 
when the languages  of these regions adopted the Quranic script and 
letters.
2. As long as the Quran was written on parchment, the Kufic script remained 
in place; however, after the 12th century, when the paper was increasingly 
used, instead of Kufic calligraphy as the writing of the Quran, Neshi, 
Muhakkak, and Reyhani, who adhered to the rules of Vizier Ibn-i Mukla, 
began to be used in the Quran.
3. In the 13th century, writing styles developed with the use of the Talik line in 
Iran and have come down to the present day. Many beautiful works have 
been created using Islamic calligraphy.
4. Arabic calligraphy styles:
5. Based on Islamic calligraphy, there are letters and the way these letters are 
written. There are basically six types of calligraphy: Kufi, Thuluth, Nesih, 
Rika, Reyhani, and Tevki. These are called Aklam-i Sitte.
1- Kufi 
calligr
aphy
All letters are angular. It is 
considered the oldest in Islamic 
calligraphy. It is straight, hard, 
and angular handwriting. It is 
named after the Iraqi city of 
Kufa.
2- 
Calligrap
hy of 
Thuluth:
Thuluth literally means one-third. 
Letters written in Thuluth are written 
two-thirds and one-third round from 
the original letter. This calligraphy 
began to be written by the first 
vizier Ibn-i Mukla. This line has a 
soft look compared to the Reyhani 
line. In general, the thuluth style is 
common in mosques, caravanserais, 
tombstones, madrasa inscriptions, 
and ornamental plaques. When it 
comes to Arabic calligraphy, Thuluth 
calligraphy is widely used.
 
3- 
Naskh 
Calligr
aphy
       All lNaskh literally means to eliminate. It is believed that he 
received this name because he abolished the layout of 
other scripts, especially the Kufic line. This is the small form 
of Thuluth calligraphy. Quran-Karim Mushafs are usually 
written in Naskh.etters are angular. It is considered the 
oldest in Islamic calligraphy. It is straight, hard, and angular 
handwriting. It is named after the Iraqi city of Kufa.
4- Rika 
Calligra
phyR:ika was mainly used by the Ottoman Turks. Rika is a line written 
in the thuluth style like the Tawki line but adheres to its rules. It 
literally means "little page". It is the most widely used handwriting 
format. It can be written in series. The prayers at the end of the 
pages of the Quran are used in foundation works and 
icazetnames. Learn Allah Calligraphy Arabic from the best and 
most creative school of arts in Pakistan.
 
5- 
Reyhani 
Calligrap
hy:
The relationship between thuluth 
and naskh is found between 
Muhakkak and reyhani. The 
horizontal parts of the naskh script 
are more prone and longer, and 
since they are large, they could not 
stand against the naskh. It was used 
in writing the Quran.
 
6- 
Tawqi 
Calligra
It's like the thuluth calligraphy rules but written in a 
phys:maller or even sloppy way. When it comes to tawqi calligraphy, the most distinctive feature is that letters 
that don't combine can be connected to each other. 
Letters from caliphs and viziers were written in Tawki. 
Detention calligraphy was typically used in 
foundation work.
 
Thank 
you