Editing Islamic art (section)

== Calligraphy ==
{{main|Islamic calligraphy}}
[[File:Courtyard of the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey 004.jpg|thumb|left|Tiles with some calligraphy in the courtyard of the [[Süleymaniye Mosque]] in [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]])]]

Calligraphic design is omnipresent in Islamic art, where, as in [[Europe]] in the [[Middle Ages]], religious exhortations, including [[Quran|Qur'anic]] verses, may be included in secular objects, especially coins, tiles and metalwork, and most painted miniatures include some script, as do many buildings. Use of Islamic calligraphy in architecture extended significantly outside of Islamic territories; one notable example is the use of [[Chinese calligraphy]] of Arabic verses from the ''Qur'an'' in the [[Great Mosque of Xi'an]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bondak|first1=Marwa|title=Islamic Art History: An Influential Period|url=http://blog.mozaico.com/islamic-art-history-an-influential-period/|website=Mozaico|access-date=26 May 2017|date=2017-04-25}}</ref> Other inscriptions include verses of poetry, and inscriptions recording ownership or donation. Two of the main scripts involved are the symbolic ''[[kufic]]'' and ''[[Naskh (script)|naskh]]'' scripts, which can be found adorning and enhancing the visual appeal of the walls and domes of buildings, the sides of [[minbar]]s, and metalwork.<ref name="JAACMadden">Madden (1975), pp.423–430</ref> Islamic calligraphy in the form of painting or sculptures is sometimes referred to as ''Quranic art''.<ref>Islamic Archaeology in the Sudan - Page 22, Intisar Soghayroun Elzein - 2004</ref>

The various forms of traditional [[Arabic calligraphy]] and decoration of the manuscripts used for written versions of the [[Quran|''Qur'an'']] represent a central tradition of Islamic visual art. The arabesque is often used to symbolize the transcendent, indivisible and infinite nature of God.<ref name="JAACMadden" /> Mistakes in repetitions may be intentionally introduced as a show of humility by artists who believe only God can produce perfection, although this theory has also been disputed.<ref>{{cite web|author=Thompson, Muhammad|author2=Begum, Nasima|title=Islamic Textile Art: Anomalies in Kilims|url=http://www.turkotek.com/salon_00101/salon.html|access-date=25 August 2009|work=Salon du Tapis d'Orient|publisher=TurkoTek}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Alexenberg|first=Melvin L.|title=The future of art in a digital age: from Hellenistic to Hebraic consciousness|publisher=Intellect Ltd|year=2006|isbn=1-84150-136-0|page=55}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Backhouse, Tim|title=Only God is Perfect|url=http://www.geometricdesign.co.uk/perfect.htm|access-date=25 August 2009|work=Islamic and Geometric Art}}</ref>

East Persian pottery from the 9th to 11th centuries, decorated only with highly stylised inscriptions and called "epigraphic ware", has been described as "probably the most refined and sensitive of all Persian pottery".<ref>Arts, p. 223. see nos. 278–290</ref> Large inscriptions made from tiles, sometimes with the letters raised in [[relief]], or the background cut away, are found on the interiors and exteriors of many important buildings. Complex carved calligraphy also decorates buildings. For most of the Islamic period the majority of coins only showed lettering, which are often very elegant despite their small size and nature of production. The [[tughra]] or monogram of an [[Ottoman Sultan|Ottoman sultan]] was used extensively on official documents, with very elaborate decoration for important ones. Other single sheets of calligraphy, designed for albums, might contain short poems, Qur'anic verses, or other texts.

The main languages, all using [[Arabic script]], are [[Arabic language|Arabic]], always used for Qur'anic verses, [[Farsi|Persian]] in the [[Persianate]] world, especially for poetry, and [[Ottoman Turkish alphabet|Turkish]], with [[Urdu]] appearing in later centuries. Calligraphers usually had a higher status than other artists.