Tehran’s Sa’ad Abad Cultural and Historical Complex has mounted an exhibition of works by Iranian calligraphers of the country’s Islamic era.
The event displays a collection of 40 Qur'anic artworks at the Mir Emad Calligraphy Museum of the complex, CHTN reported.
The works, created in Kufic, Thuluth, Riqa, Naskh, Nast'aliq and cursive Nast'aliq styles, are part of the museum's manuscript collection and date from the 10th century until the Qajar era.
The museum is named after one of the most celebrated Persian calligraphers, whose Nasta'liq works have been housed in numerous museums around the world.
Mir Emad studied science and calligraphy in his hometown of Qazvin and served in the court of Safavid ruler Shah Abbas.
The master calligrapher is buried in the small courtyard of Maqsud Beyk Mosque in the Iranian city of Isfahan.
The exhibited artworks were created by renowned Iranian calligraphers such as Mohammad Hashem, Mirza Kouchak, Meshkin Qalam Qazvini, Zeinolabedin Mahallati, Mohammad-Hossein Shirazi, Ahmad Neirizi and Baisonqor Mirza.
The exhibition will run until Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Considered one of the highest Islamic art forms, calligraphy became an indispensable part of Persian society in the beginning of the Islamic era so that it was not only practiced by professional artists but also by royalty and nobility.
Nasta'liq is known as the most attractive Persian calligraphy style, broadly used in copying romantic and epic Persian poetry and literary manuscripts, such as the famous edition of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh copied at the Timurid court.
Today, Persian calligraphy combines traditional ideals of magnificence with creative pictorial writing and calligraphy is not only used to decorate monuments but also for creating formal letterheads, banner ads, book covers and business logos.
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