An array of collection at the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum (FBQ Museum) that highlight the finesse of Arabic calligraphy took centre stage to mark World Calligraphy Day in Doha yesterday.
The celebration, which brought together calligraphy enthusiasts in the country, provided an opportunity to discuss, practice, and learn more about the art of penmanship.
Some of the objects on display include the epigraphic bowl in Samanid style (Iran, 11th c.AD) from the Abbasid period, decorated with a Kufic inscription that looks like pseudo – Kufic. After examining the inscription, it reads: “Planning before work protects you from regret. Prosperity [be with you]”.
“This kind of vertical Kufic script found on Samanid vessels is difficult to read because of the stretched letters. Furthermore, the space between the letters and words is kept at a regular pace to spread the text uniformly on the plate’s rim in a practice called mashq,” Qatar Museums (QM) said in an e-mail to its Culture Pass members yesterday.
The museum also showcases pieces such as the 18th Century Ceramic Bowl, a ceramic plate which belongs to 18th Century Kashmir with Quranic inscriptions; and the Ottoman Ka’ba Key Bag, commissioned by Sultan Mustafa III made of silk and cotton embroidered with silver and gilt silver threads; among other collections.
Calligrapher Mohamed Bough offered FBQ Museum visitors to have their names personalised, written in calligraphy according to their preferred style. FBQ Museum is home to a wide range of Islamic art and heritage collection dating back from the Jurassic age to the early Islamic period and up to the present day across four themes: Islamic Art, Qatar Heritage, Vehicles, and Coins and Currency.
The FBQ Museum, a valuable resource for scholars, educational institutions and schools, as well as a tourist destination in its own right, tells the story not only of the history of the Qatari people, but also of HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani himself.
QM’s online gift shop and Cass Art Qatar are also offering a range of high-quality calligraphy sets for those who want to learn and practice this unique art form.
These include speedball sketching and calligraphy pen set, charcoal pencils, Copic sketch sets, and brush pen, among others.
World Calligraphy Day u2014 celebrating the art of penmanship.
