describing calligraphy in interior design its history and the role of calligraphy in forming modern interiors what is the relationship of zaha hadid and calligraphy ?

1. Tishk International University
Faculty of Engineering
Interior Design Department
Calligraphy In Inteior Design
Prepared By:
Aysha Asaad
May 21, 2019

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Table of Contents
Abstract........................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction To Calligraphy ........................................................................................................... 5
Calligraphy definition ................................................................................................................. 5
Historical Background And Literature Review .............................................................................. 6
EOURPE.................................................................................................................................. 6
EAST ASIA............................................................................................................................. 7
SOUTH ASIA.......................................................................................................................... 7
ISLAMIC WORLD ................................................................................................................. 8
PERSIA ................................................................................................................................... 8
Mayan civilization................................................................................................................... 9
Case Study: The Rise Of Calligraphy In Islam............................................................................. 10
Kufic Script and its different Styles .......................................................................................... 10
Zaha Hadid And Calligraphy .................................................................................................... 12
The Role Of Arabic Calligraphy In Forming Modern Interior Design..................................... 15
Results and conclusion.................................................................................................................. 16
References..................................................................................................................................... 17

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Table of figures
Figure 1The Georgian calligraphy .............................................................................................. 6
Figure 2Calligraphy by Mi Fu, Song Dynasty............................................................................ 7
Figure 3A Calligraphic design in Oriya script........................................................................... 7
Figure 4The phrase Bismillah in an 18th-century. .................................................................... 8
Figure 5khate mikhi...................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 6Mayan hieroglyphs ......................................................................................................... 9
Figure 7 Quran attributed to Imam Hussayn, ......................................................................... 11
Figure 8 A page from Quran copied by Othman Ibn Warraq Qaznavi................................ 11
Figure 9 Shadow Studies, Zaha Hadid, Art & Media Center, Dusseldorf, 1989-93............. 12
Figure 10Hawk Stamp................................................................................................................ 13
Figure 11he Bergisel Ski Jump, Austria, 1999 ......................................................................... 13
Figure 12 Moonsoon Lounge, Sapporo, Japan, 1989-90 ......................................................... 14
Figure 13 table to show the methods applications in calligraphy projects........................... 15

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Abstract
It is safe to claim that the emergence of calligraphy as one of the most important art in
the Islamic era had a direct relationship with the outmost importance of Qur’an for Muslims. In
this line, there are numerous quotations from the Holy Prophet and the Imams about the crucial
importance of beautiful transcribing of Qur’an. Therefore, calligraphy quickly spread throughout
the world of Islam and developed by artists in different regions. Iranian artists played a significant
role in developing of Islamic calligraphy amongst were Ahval-e Moharrar, Ibrāhim sejzi, Ibn-e
moqlah-the rule-governor of six scripts- Ibn-e bavvab, and etc. Additionally, a large number of
survived manuscripts of Qur’an produced in Iran demonstrate the developing of calligraphy in
relation with Qur’an.
This term report introduces a new way of understanding the of calligraphy on and the role of
arabic calligraphy in forming modern interior design.
Keywords: Islamic design , Qur’an, transcribing of Qur’an, calligraphy, calligraphers, Kufic
script, six script,

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Introduction To Calligraphy
For 2,000 Years, the western Latin alphabet has developed and been modified by a vast
range of social and technological changes, providing a rich and varied resource for the modern
calligrapher to quarry. This paperwork charts that development, presenting scripts in both
historical and practical contexts. And will be able to explore the origins of each script and
understand anew the construction of the letters that we use every day”. (harris, 1995)
Calligraphy definition
According to (claude, 1996), calligraphy means visual art related to writing. It is the design
and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument, brush, or other writing instruments. A
contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an
expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner".
Modern calligraphy ranges from functional inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where
the letters may or may not be readable. Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-
classical hand-lettering, though a calligrapher may practice both.
Calligraphy continues to flourish in the forms of wedding invitations and event invitations,
font design and typography, original hand-lettered logo design, religious art, announcements,
graphic design and commissioned calligraphic art, cut stone inscriptions, and memorial
documents. It is also used for props and moving images for film and television, and also for
testimonials, birth and death certificates, maps, and other written works.

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Historical Background And Literature Review
EOURPE
Calligraphy begins with the tools and materials discovery and invention, and these should
be selected with great care. Western calligraphy is recognizable by the use of the Latin script. The
Latin alphabet appeared about 600 BC, in Rome, and by the first century developed into Roman
imperial capitals carved on stones, Rustic capitals painted on walls, and Roman cursive for daily
use. In the second and third centuries the uncial lettering style developed. As writing withdrew to
monasteries, uncial script was found more suitable for copying the Bible and other religious texts.
It was the monasteries which preserved calligraphic traditions during the fourth and fifth centuries,
when the Roman Empire fell and Europe entered the Dark Ages.
At the height of the Empire, its power reached
as far as Great Britain; when the empire fell, its literary
influence remained. The Semi-uncial generated the
Irish Semi-uncial, the small Anglo-Saxon. Each
region developed its own standards following the
main monastery of the region. Christian churches
promoted the development of writing through the
prolific copying of the Bible, the Breviary, and other
sacred texts. Two distinct styles of writing known as
uncial and half-uncial (from the Latin "uncia", or
"inch") developed from a variety of Roman
bookhands. The 7th–9th centuries in northern
Europe were the heyday of Celtic illuminated
manuscripts.
In the eleventh century, the Caroline evolved into the Gothic script, which was more
compact and made it possible to fit more text on a page. (Lovett, 2000) The Gothic calligraphy
styles became dominant throughout Europe; and in 1454, when Johannes Gutenberg developed the
first printing press in Mainz, Germany, he adopted the Gothic style, making it the first typeface.In
the 15th century, the rediscovery of old Carolingian texts encouraged the creation of the humanist
minuscule or littera antiqua. The 17th century saw the Batarde script from France, and the 18th
century saw the English script spread across Europe and world through their books.
Figure 1The Georgian calligraphy

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EAST ASIA
In ancient China, the oldest Chinese characters existing are Jiǎgǔwén characters (甲骨文)
carved on ox scapulae and tortoise plastrons, because the dominators in Shang Dynasty carved pits
on such animals' bones and then baked them to gain auspice of military affairs, agricultural harvest,
or even procreating and weather. Cursive styles such as xíngshū (行書/行书)(semi-cursive or
running script) and cǎoshū (草書/草书)(cursive, rough script, or grass script) are less constrained
and faster, where more movements made by the writing implement are visible. These styles' stroke
orders vary more, sometimes creating radically different forms. Both Japanese and Korean
calligraphy were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy. The Japanese and Korean people have
also developed their own specific sensibilities and styles of calligraphy while incorporating
Chinese influences
SOUTH ASIA
In many parts of ancient India, the inscriptions were carried out in smoke-treated palm
leaves. This tradition dates back to over two thousand years Even after the Indian languages were
put on paper in the 13th century, palm leaves where considered a preferred medium of writing
owing to its longevity (nearly 400 years) compared to paper. Both sides of the leaves were used
for writing. Long rectangular strips were gathered on top of one another, holes were drilled through
all the leaves, and the book was held together by string. Books of this manufacture were common
to Southeast Asia. The palm leaf was an excellent surface for pen writing, making possible the
delicate lettering used in many of the scripts of southern Asia. (Calligraphy , 2019)
Figure 2Calligraphy by Mi Fu, Song Dynasty
Figure 3A Calligraphic design in Oriya
script

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ISLAMIC WORLD
Calligraphy 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 the Muslim calligraphers from Andalusia in
modern Spain to China. Islamic calligraphy is associated with geometric
Islamic art (arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on
the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage
of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions. Instead of
recalling something related to the spoken word, calligraphy for Muslims
is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the 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
are still sources for Islamic calligraphy.
PERSIA
The history of calligraphy in Persia dates back to the pre-Islam era. In Zoroastrianism
beautiful and clear writings were always praised. It is believed that ancient Persian script was
invented by about 600–500 BC to provide monument inscriptions for the Achaemenid kings. These
scripts consisted of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal nail-shape letters, which is why it is called
"script of nails/cuneiform script" (khat-e-mikhi)
in Persian. Centuries later, other scripts such as
"Pahlavi" and "Avestan" scripts were used in
ancient Persia. The Nasta'liq style is the most
popular contemporary style among classical
Persian calligraphy scripts; Persian calligraphers
call it the "bride of calligraphy scripts". (Bakar)
Figure 5khate mikhi
Figure 4The phrase Bismillah in an
18th-century.

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Mayan civilization
Mayan calligraphy was expressed via Mayan hieroglyphs; modern Mayan calligraphy is
mainly used on seals and monuments in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Mayan hieroglyphs are
rarely used in government offices; however in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Mayan
calligraphy is written in Latin letters.[clarification needed] Some commercial companies in
southern Mexico use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their business. Some community
associations and modern Mayan brotherhoods use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their groups.
Figure 6Mayan hieroglyphs

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Case Study: The Rise Of Calligraphy In Islam
Today, we know little about calligraphy in the early days of Islam. What we all know is that
the issue of transcribing and calligraphy started with the need to script the Holy Qur’an. It is
believed that the first person to transcribe Qur’an in manuscript was Sālem Ibn-e Ma’qal. (orsatti,
1993) . There is also little known about the types of scripts used in copying the first Qura’ns; Ibne
Nadim believes the first Arabic scripts were respectively: Makki, Madani, Basri and Kufic. The
order of the script-types reflects the priority and order in which the Qur’an was revealed to the
prophet and also the city to which the caliphate moved, i.e. from Mecca to Madinna and Kufa.
Muslims originally named their scripts after the name of the cities.
Some historians of the 9th and 10th AH/ 15th and 16th AD centuries who have penned
about the origins of scripts, considered the Kufic and Moaqqali scripts as the earliest forms of
scripts used in copying the Qura’n , yet this claim does not seem to be right. Ibn-e Nadim in his
book Al-fihrist mentions 12 scripts as the scripts used to copy Qur’an, amongst was Isfahāni scripts
which were invented by the Iranians and used by them ( (Ibn-eNadim, 1988)But the Quality of
these scripts is still unknown.
Kufic Script and its different Styles
When the center of the caliphate moved to the city of Kufa, many scripts developed
which were all called Kufic. But (Deroche, 1992) believe that the hand writings used to
copy Qur`ans from the stylistics viewpoint are totally different. He generally called them
Abbāssid Style and divided to two categories: the “Early Abbāssid” script was the true and
authentic Kufic script in its all various forms, while “New Abbāssid” included different
types of eastern Kufic. The 16 types of scripts mentioned in Al-Fihrest, presumably, must
fall under these categories, though the exact form of these scripts is still unknown to us.
The Kufic script was originally void of dots and diacritics and was called “Old Kufic”.
This made the reading in this script almost impossible for the non-Arabs, so attempts were
made to improve this script: the first to make an attempt in the improvement of this script
was AbulAswa-ed Do’eli who upon suggestions by Imam Ali modified the Kufic script by
adding round dots to certain letters, two of his students; Yahyā and Nāssr added round
diacritics to the dotted letters. As there was a need to differentiate between the round dots
and round diacritics, others made modifications to differentiate between the two.
Ultimately, it was Khalil- ibn-e Ahmad-e Arūzi who devised eight diacritics in form of
narrow lines, and dots in round shapes to differentiate between the two and finalized the
current form of the script.

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The most important feature of the Kufic style, is the slender and taller “alef” )‫الف‬ )letters
which makes it easily distinguishable. Another feature of this scrip is the variety of form. A factor
that much contributed to variety in the Kufic script was the invention of the paper. Before the
advent of the paper, scripts were written on parchment which limited writing to often a horizontal
direction, with the advent of paper, and the possibility of making 4 and 8-fold leaflets, it became
possible to write vertically and this new.
Figure 8 A page from Quran copied by Othman Ibn Warraq Qaznavi
Figure 7 Quran attributed to Imam Hussayn,

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Zaha Hadid And Calligraphy
Despite Hadid’s critics’ lack of elaboration , we can carefully examine Hadid’s sketches
and formal drawings, look to her detailed project descriptions, and find many spaces and buildings
with direct and obvious links to Arabic calligraphy. Our spatial readings of Arabic calligraphy can
illuminate how we understand Zaha Hadid’s projects as well as how calligraphy may affect
architects, engineers, font designers and other practitioners in the visual arts.
In project descriptions Hadid often uses such words as “calligraphy”, “energy” and
“levitate” to describe the kinds of spatial flows that she wants her structures to have as the public
moves through them. Above are shadow studies by Hadid that show a direct affinity with
calligraphy. They lean leftward and are loosely tied together with occasional gaps, similar to the
way Arabic writing links its parts. They are referring to the impact upon the environment
surrounding them. (Betsky, 2002)
Figure 9 Shadow Studies, Zaha Hadid, Art & Media Center, Dusseldorf,
1989-93

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The images above are a stamp of a sultan’s signature used when sending a letter. In this
case the sultan’s name is in the shape of a hawk. The image on the right is a blown-up segment
of the tail feathers turned upside down (as letters they are now right side up). The different
perspectives of the hawk illustrate the close up dynamics of the interaction between the letters.
In Zaha Hadid’s Bergisel Ski Jump in Austria the letter Alef is literally the structural
support for the ramp, which could be the letter “ain” “‫ع‬”. This project seems to mirror the tail
feathers of the hawk.
Figure 10Hawk Stamp
Figure 11he Bergisel Ski Jump, Austria, 1999

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The Huwwa or Him above is an exquisite example of a merging of form with meaning.
This refers to God during incantations and shows the relationship of God to man because Huwwa
means Him with a big “H” and it also means him with a small “h”. This is a space that circulates
and returns back to itself, creating a kind of loop that beautifully suggests a unity between
spirituality and humanity. It is an intimate space that keeps the eye from wandering outward.
Likewise, Hadid in the Moonsoon Lounge keeps the focus on the activities within the space. The
backrests act as visual punctuation – as decoration because they repeat and add color. The
backrests can be moved from one position or space to another depending on the micro-spaces
created within the larger circle. Here the punctuation imitates diacritical marks and vowels
within Arabic that tend to ornament the main letters. Perhaps these punctuated backrests are
intended for the promotion of thoughtful and congenial activity: for contemplating all the
possibilities of a calligraphic design and space. Zaha Hadid’s choice to pursue difficult projects,
through complex and breathtaking compositions fills a need that our world yearns for. Her
greatest accomplishment may not rest in a single project or even in a body of work but in her
ability to re-bridge the divide, real or imagined, between East and West. (Khatibi & Mohammed
, 1976)
Figure 12 Moonsoon Lounge, Sapporo, Japan, 1989-
90

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The simple composition in the figure (F1,) Find a new creative ideas in sculpture,
fountain, as a new accessories of interior design integrating the Arabic cultural context within the
indoor space. The simple and complex compositions in the figures (F2) the find a new creative
ideas to reconfigure the modern form and stricture in buildings to communicate with words using
Arabic calligraphy without reading.
Design, in general, encompasses many disciplines such as interior design. our projects
shares a systematic approach to the arrangement of parts in order to create a complete artistic
unit. This systematic approach to design is based upon the application and manipulation of the
elements and principles of design. The elements of design can be thought of as the ‘vocabulary
in design language, and the eight principles can be likened to the grammar, or rules for applying
those elements. Elements and principles of design also create a platform for designers to
communicate their identity using the effects of Arabic calligraphy in there interior design. The
use of Arabic letters comes from the fact that they reflect history, culture and identity. Various
Arabic calligraphy styles and types in squire grid were shown to give great flexibility for
utilization in different interior design elements even in structural design. (Fahmi, 2016)
Figure 13 table to show the methods applications in calligraphy projects
The Role Of Arabic Calligraphy In Forming Modern Interior
Design

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Results and conclusion
The usage of calligraphy in the Interior design can carry a purposeful message through its
detailed design elements expressing culture and history in which identity can be emphasized
through the character of the letters to be used in furniture columns ceiling and flooring or the
organization space. one of the important things in to design an interior space, it's the back to
identity by using calligraphy especially as a geometric letters arrangement.
Zaha Hadid, and many others are engaged in their respective visual practices via a strategy
that borrows from past and present traditions. Through contemporary lenses, their visions lead
them to embed explicitly and implicitly from the calligraphy within the range of its various
manifestations and its milieu. Within their visual frameworks we can extrapolate various histories,
trends and philosophies. These artists, among others who live and work within varied disciplines
and spaces, help to articulate, redefine and affirm our shared cultural inheritances.

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References
Bakar, M. F. (n.d.). THE HISTORY OF CALLIGRAPHY. tehran.
Betsky. (2002). “Beyond 89 Degrees”. The Complete Buildings and Projects.
Calligraphy . (2019, may 14). Retrieved from wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligraphy
claude. (1996). Calligraphy: From Calligraphy to Abstract Painting. belgium.
Deroche, F. (1992). The abbasid traditio.
Fahmi, M. (2016). The Role Of Arabic Calligraphy In Forming. amman.
harris, d. (1995). the art of calligraphy. london: Dorling Kindersley.
Ibn-eNadim. (1988). Al fihrast. tehran.
Khatibi, A., & Mohammed , S. (1976). The Splendour of Islamic Calligraphy. london.
Lovett, P. (2000). Calligraphy and Illumination.
orsatti. (1993). the Islamic manuscript. Vatican Apostolic Library.