The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy

The birth of Qur’anic calligraphy was a major event in the early history of Islam. In a few decades, it raised the Arabs and their language from the remote fringes of the civilised world to its very heart.Alain George brings together manuscript, material culture and texts to reveal the evolution of Arabic calligraphy from its pre-Islamic conception through the emergence of the modern styles of writing still in use today.The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy explores the resonance of the Ancient notion of proportion in Arabic script and breaks new ground in our understanding of a crucially important body of material: the earliest manuscripts of the Qur’an.Alain George highlights the historical context of early Arabic calligraphy and its relationship...