I was born in the United States, but I have lived in the United Arab Emirates for 18 years. I am originally from Yemen; then I came back here. I have been learning calligraphy since I was 8 years. Calligraphy (the art of writing) in Islamic and Arabic cultures is highly respected as an art . Calligraphic arts in the Islamic world is found in the Qur'an- Muslim's holy book- from the following quote is from the Qur'an:
Thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who teacheth by the pen, Teacheth man that which he knew not. (Surah Al-Alaq, 96: 3-5) This verse refers to knowledge in general. Arabic alphabet is a script of 28 letters and uses only long vowels. These letters are derived from only 17 distinct forms, distinguished one from another by a dot or dots placed above or below the letter. Arabic calligraphy is a symbol representing beauty and power. However, most of the inscriptions are not only from the Qur'an but also from the Hadith (the prophet's words) and often displayed on building.About the calligraphy materials, calligraphers did not write with a quill or metal point, but used a piece of reed. These reeds were cut and left to dry for weeks until they had become supple. Then they were gathered, sorted, cut and trimmed. Paper was made from cotton, and sometimes from silk or other fibers, but not from wood pulp. The paper was polished with a smooth stone. before the calligrapher began to write. The major six scripts in calligraphy are known as al-aqlam al-sittah. They are:
Deewai Farsi kufi Naskh Req'aa Thuluth
