School of Traditional Arts Ticket Portal

Calligraphy was always prized in the Ottoman Court and thus inscriptions of remarkable strength emerged from this period. The manuscripts of 18th Century Calligrapher Mehmed Shawqi Effendi from the Ottoman School will be used as examples for the workshop.

The fluid style of thuluth ranks as one of the most popular scripts of choice for aesthetic expression due to its versatility and endless creativity. Thuluth is a proportioned script based on the principles of past masters. A rhomboid dot is used to measure each letter shape. The oblique angle of the pen (qalam) lends itself to the aesthetics of producing thick and thin angles. To control the flowing line whilst maintaining balance, elegance and harmony is a great achievement of artistic expression. Thuluth’s popularity is expressed in text, poems and aphorisms and  inscriptions are found in various mediums; architecture, manuscripts, metalwork, glass, wood, textiles and ceramics .

The workshop is a practical introduction to the script and provides participants a step-by-step guide to writing the Arabic letters according to the thuluth proportion system. Students will be shown how to construct each letter through basic strokes and learn the traditional practice, tools and materials used for thuluth.

Inspired by the Aya Sophia, recreate the striking calligraphy roundels by the Ottoman luminary Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi (1901-1876).    Practice the jali (large) thuluth script and the techniques employed by Kazasker Efendi to write the roundels in pen and ink, an art form rooted in principles passed down through generations.

Through hands-on sessions develop your own smaller calligraphy roundels, featuring the sacred name of Allah or the name of the Prophet Muhammad. The Aya Sophia stands as an icon of global architecture. The historic roundels were meticulously placed during the 19th Century repairs. The mastery embedded in these monumental 7.5- metre roundels has left an indelible mark in the records of calligraphy history.  The eight calligraphy roundels bear the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, his grandsons Hasan and Hussein, and the four companions - all adorned with gold leaf against a rich dark background.