Arabic Calligraphy
Monumental Calligraphy
‘Minimalist, angular kufic script was the first style of Arabic calligraphy to appear on monuments.’
The minimalist, angular kufic script was the first style of Arabic calligraphy to appear on monuments. It then developed in the 5th / 11th century to become foliated and to include floral ornamentation on the tips of the letters, such as seen on the maqsura (the space reserved for the caliph or imam) in the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Although kufic script – with its horizontal and vertical lines – perfectly complemented a number of architectural features in buildings, especially pillars and supports, from the 6th / 12th century monuments were also decorated with other styles of Arabic calligraphy such as the more lenient naskhi script, as seen on the Khanqah (hostel) of Sultan Baybars in Egypt.
Great Mosque of Kairouan

Hegira 221 / AD 836
Umayyad, Abbasid
Kairouan, Tunisia
A wooden screen from the maqsura in the Great Mosque, this particular one reserved for the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz. The screen is decorated with a band of kufic script that runs across the top edge.