Editing Calligraphy (section)

==Islamic world==
{{main|Islamic calligraphy}}
{{See also|Arabic calligraphy}}
{{gallery
|title=Samples of Islamic calligraphy samples
|File:Basmalah-1wm.svg
   |The phrase ''[[Basmala|Bismillah]]'' in an 18th-century Islamic calligraphy from the [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman]] region
|File:Bowl with Kufic Calligraphy, 10th century.jpg
   |Bowl with [[Kufic]] Calligraphy, (Persia) 10th century|File:Persian Nastaʿlīq's proportions.jpg
   |Sample showing [[Nastaliq]] proportional rules (Persian and Urdu languages){{cn|date=November 2022}}
}}

Islamic calligraphy{{efn|''Calligraphy'' in Arabic is ''{{transliteration|ar|khatt ul-yad}}'' ({{lang|ar|خط اليد}}) and in Persian is {{transliteration|fa|Khosh-Nevisi}} ({{lang|fa|خوشنویسی}}.}} has evolved alongside [[Islam]] and the [[Arabic language]]. As it is based on Arabic letters, some call it "[[Arabic calligraphy]]". However the term "Islamic calligraphy" is a more appropriate term as it comprises all works of calligraphy by Muslim calligraphers of different national cultures, such as [[Persian calligraphy|Persian]] or [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] calligraphy, from [[Al-Andalus]] in medieval [[Spain]] to China.

Islamic calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art ([[Arabesque]]) on the walls and ceilings of [[mosque]]s as well as on the page or other materials. Contemporary artists in the [[Islamic world]] may draw on the heritage of calligraphy to create modern calligraphic inscriptions, like [[Logo|corporate logos]], or abstractions.

Instead of recalling something related to the spoken word, calligraphy for [[Muslim]]s is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the [[spirituality|spiritual]] world. Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because it provides a link between the languages of the Muslims with the religion of Islam. The [[Qur'an]] has played an important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic alphabet. Proverbs and passages from the Qur'an continue to be sources for Islamic calligraphy.

During the [[Ottoman era|Ottoman civilization]], Islamic calligraphy attained special prominence. The city of Istanbul is an open exhibition hall for all kinds and varieties of calligraphy, from inscriptions in mosques to fountains, schools, houses, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CALLIGRAPHY IN ISTANBUL {{!}} History of Istanbul |url=https://istanbultarihi.ist/629-calligraphy-in-istanbul |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=istanbultarihi.ist}}</ref>

=== Antiquity ===
It is believed{{by whom|date=April 2022}} that [[Old Persian|ancient Persian script]] was invented by about 600–500 BCE to provide monument inscriptions for the [[Achaemenid Empire#Achaemenid kings and rulers|Achaemenid kings]].{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} These scripts consisted of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal nail-shape letters, which is why it is called [[cuneiform script]] (lit. "script of nails") (''{{transliteration|fa|khat-e-mikhi}}'') in [[Persian language|Persian]].{{relevance inline|reason=Did ancient Iranians actually use cuneiform specifically for calligraphy?|date=August 2022}} Centuries later, other scripts such as "[[Pahlavi scripts|Pahlavi]]" and "[[Avestan script|Avestan]]" scripts were used in ancient Persia. Pahlavi was a middle Persian script developed from the Aramaic script and became the official script of the Sassanian empire (224–651 CE).{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

=== Contemporary scripts ===
The [[Nasta'liq script|Nasta'liq]] style is the most popular contemporary style among classical Persian calligraphy scripts;{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Persian calligraphers call it the "bride of calligraphy scripts." This calligraphy style has been based on such a rigid structure that it has changed very little since [[Mir Ali Tabrizi]] had found the optimum composition of the letters and graphical rules.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}{{Opinion|date=October 2024}} It has just been fine-tuned during the past seven centuries.{{clarify|reason=So what makes it a "contemporary" script if it is seven centuries old?|date=April 2022}}  It has very strict rules for graphical shape of the letters and for combination of the letters, words, and composition of the whole calligraphy piece.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}