During the Ottoman Empire.
The skills of Ottoman calligraphy were passed down as a heritage from the Tabriz school, which flourished in the art of calligraphy and bookmaking, including paper production, script, decoration, binding, illustrations, gilding, and more. This excellence was achieved thanks to Iranian masters, and the Ottomans established an independent and renowned school in the art of Diwani script. Even today, many Turkish calligraphers are known for their creativity in writing Qur’ans that are displayed in Turkish museums, particularly at the Istanbul Islamic Arts Museum. They also contributed elegant decoration and binding to Ottoman calligraphy.
Calligraphers adorned the mosques with their beautiful scripts and intricate decorations in order to secure prestigious job opportunities and high salaries in the capital.
At the end of the Ottoman Caliphate, a group of calligraphers emerged who became famous in the Islamic world and left us with beautiful and timeless masterpieces.
Among them were:
The calligrapher Sheikh Hamdullah Al-Amasi, who is considered the master of Turkish calligraphers.
The calligrapher Hafiz Osman.
The calligrapher Yusuf Rasa.
The Ottoman Empire era can be considered a golden age for Arabic calligraphy for several reasons.
The Ottoman Empire was a vast empire with a large territory, and it brought together many different nationalities under the banner of Islam.
The Ottoman Empire ruled for nearly 600 years, a very long period. Human and animal drawings were prohibited in the Ottoman Empire, so decorations, scripts, and engravings were encouraged instead of paintings. The caliphs of the Ottoman era provided significant support and encouragement to writers, scholars, and creators, granting them various gifts and bringing them closer to themselves in the capital of the caliphate. Some of them even received training from calligraphers to learn the fundamentals of Arabic calligraphy. The salary of the Sultan’s calligrapher was 400 golden liras per month. At that time, the Turks reached a level of luxury beyond measure, starting to add engravings, drawings, and decorations with large sums of money in their palaces. Thanks to the state’s appreciation for calligraphers and its generosity in granting them gifts, they were able to invent new scripts like Ruq’ah, Diwani, and others.
Turkish Calligraphers: Pioneers of Art and Creativity in Arabic Calligraphy
Turkey is renowned for a group of prominent calligraphers who left an indelible mark on the history of Arabic calligraphy, and their names continue to echo in the realms of art and creativity. Among these calligraphers are: Sami Effendi, Abdullah Al-Zahdi, Ibrahim Alaaeddin, Mustafa Nazif, Hamid Al-Amadi, Haqi, Muhammad Amin, Mustafa Raqim, Ismail Zahdi (brother of calligrapher Raqim), Mustafa Izzet, Muhammad Shawqi, Ahmad Kamil, Mahmoud Yaz, and Abdulaziz Al-Rifai, among others.
These artists demonstrated their exceptional skills in mastering traditional Arabic scripts and, throughout their careers, created new forms that contributed to the development of this ancient art. The history of Arabic calligraphy will always remember with pride and admiration the valuable artistic contributions made by Turkish calligraphers over the years.
