Arabic Calligraphy and Founding Day Training Kit

Training Kit on Arabic Calligraphy and Its Use on Founding Day

The Saudi Founding Day script is the Arabic calligraphy style in which the phrase "Founding Day - 1727 CE" was written in the visual identity of Founding Day, known as the Arabic Harir script. One of the features of this script is that main and sub headings are written in a bold weight, while texts are written in a regular weight, which makes this script display words through increased spacing between letters, so that phrases appear more consistent.

Arabic Calligraphy and Its History:

Arabic calligraphy is the art and design of writing in the various languages that use Arabic letters. Arabic writing is distinguished by being connected, which makes it capable of taking on different geometric forms through extension, retraction, curving, slanting, interlacing, overlapping and composition. The art of calligraphy is associated with Arabic ornamentation, as it is used to decorate mosques and palaces, and is also used to embellish manuscripts and books, especially copies of the Holy Quran. This field saw great interest from Muslim artists because of Islam's prohibition of depicting humans and animals, especially in connection with sacred places and copies of the Quran.

Types of Arabic Scripts:

Kufic Script

Kufic script is considered one of the oldest Arabic scripts, inspired by the Nabataean script, as it appeared in the Iraqi city of Kufa and spread from there to the rest of the Arab cities and countries. As for the form of Kufic script, it is characterised by straightness, as a ruler was used in the past to write its letters, and only calligraphers could master it.

Riqa Script

Interest in Riqa script dates back to the era of the Ottoman state, specifically during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, when a large number of calligraphers who produced work still known today became famous in his era, including the calligraphers Mohammed Izzat, Abdul Hamid I, Mumtaz Bey, and Hashim Al-Baghdadi.

Naskh Script

Naskh script is considered one of the easiest, most important and oldest types of Arabic scripts. It was used in writing the Holy Quran and printing the Noble Mushaf, due to the large size of its letters, which makes it clear and easy to read.