Arabic Writing History

[Saad Abulhab]

Behnam wrote:

>>Persians adopted Naskh exclusively. Because up until now -and even now- Nasta’liq could not be produced by machinery.

Like with Europeans, it was the trend centuries ago to adapt a specific calligraphic style of the Latin script as a "national" or imperial style. Smartly, the west had realized the advantages of getting rid of this antiquated practice. Script unity with open style diversity had served the Latin script and the West well.

Despite my fascination with the beauty of Nastaleeq (Urdu and Persian), I am happy that the pre-Tasmeem machinery had at least served a good cause by practically "forcing" all users of the Arabic script to learn one common default style: Naskh. The Muslim east can also benefit from similar unity and diversity.

-Saad

[piccic]

Like with Europeans, it was the trend centuries ago to adapt a specific calligraphic style of the Latin script as a “national” or imperial style.

I do not think it happened univocally this way. As printing with movable types was invented, Gutemberg adopted the textura because it was widely used as a calligraphic style, and he was setting a Bible in germany, at that precise time.
In fact, Italy remained mostly (entirely?) extraneous to the Blackletter use in typography.
In fact, what happened at Subiaco shows this mutual influence of cultural heritages: Schweinheim and Pannartz (which were German monks) turned the Blackletter back into less elaborate letter-forms setting the basis for what subsequently become our essential typographic letter forms.

I try to translate what Piero Trevisan says in his 1953 book "Storia della Stampa" ("A History of Printing"):
Coming from the dioceses of Magonza and Colonia, they (Schweinhem and Pannartz) came as the first books had already reached a degree of perfection and, given their origin, they should have cut purely gothic typefacses. But finding themselves among such a treasure of codes transcribed in native styles, especially in humanistic and carolingian calligraphy, they felt their benefical influence, and like all proto-typographers they mixed proud and necessity to create something personal.

Similar to what could happen if Latin designers would approach Arabic letters and challenge themself to design with more thoroughness. In this sense, the "typographic matchmaking" project may not be such a disappointing effort, if it has contributed to the awareness of the Latin-based designers which partecipated in it… Who knows?

[Saad Abulhab]

I admit that I do not know the details of *how* some European chose certain style over another. But I am confident that national identity played a main role. In the East, choosing certain calligraphy (i.e. Nastaleeq) as the official style in specific lands was definitely linked to this or that Sultan, Shah, or another man in power who wanted to be differentiated from others. My post was mainly to indicate that such practice is counterproductive in today's world.

Claudio wrote:

>>As printing with movable types was invented, Gutemberg adopted the textura because it was widely used ..

Exactly, this supports my point; just re-write the statement: "As computers were invented, producers adopted Naskh because it was widely used .."

I am happy that computers have unified users of the Arabic script on one common style and I do not wish that any future advancement in technology (i.e. Tasmeem) would be used to reverse that. Instead it should be used to enriching it by producing other styles as typo-caligraphic varaieties.

-Saad

[John Hudson]

Saad: I admit that I do not know the details of *how* some European chose certain style over another. But I am confident that national identity played a main role.

This is backwards. Regional style of writing and hence typography became associated with national identity as the latter emerged as a modern phenomenon. Insofar as the printing revolution contributed to the development of the modern nation state, one can go so far as to say that typography played a role in national identity, rather than the other way around.

[Saad Abulhab]

John,

>>..one can go so far as to say that typography played a role in national identity, rather than the other way around.

It is clearly a two way relation, but my point was that throughout history rules and even religious leaders had selected specific calligraphic styles to differentiate themselves from others. The Persians had even used specific script styles to differentiate between society classes. Under Islam the Arabs quickly established the Early Kufi style to emphasize their new identity. Emphasizing national or religious identity was the main factor behind selecting a newly derived calligraphic style.

-Saad

[John Hudson]

I understand, Saad. I just wanted to clarify that the situation in Europe was a little different. On the religious front, for example, after the Reformation in Germany the blackletter style became associated with protestantism and the antiqua (roman) style with the Catholic faith. But this was not because 'religious leaders selected specific styles', but because during the Counter Reformation many Catholic books were imported into southern Germany from Italy (and later France and Belgium), so were set in the roman types.

[piccic]

Yes, despite deliberate appropriations, the richness of each cultural heritage remains a shared thing. The individual and the local enrich the universal, which gives them its shared higher value in return.

Colors, for example, were not used in protestantism, and black was adopted as the main color. But nonetheless, later on, black became also the default dressing color for the catholic clergy.
Also, most things pertaining to German culture became involved in Nazism, but continued to exist after the war (the interest in occultism and the Ahnenerbe, for example). It's also interesting to note how Edith Stein reflects upon Nazism: German hebrews were very fond of their heritage as German people, up to Hitler's prosecution.

Associations are unavoidable, but we should be able to keep them as an exterior element, and seek the unity. Saad, you can't imagine how often it's difficult to discorporate islamic terrorism from the public perception of Arabic culture and Islam. Here it's often of no use to point out there are immigrants which are better persons, serious and hard working, than many Italians.
Providentially, it's also the other way around: we have a new generation of children growing up together, and the few friendships which blossom also between adults are a precious thing.

I will pick it up on the history of Arabic alphabet hopefully in a near future, otherwise I will never work on my stuff… :=)

[AzizMostafa]

2 Comprehensive books but unfortunately in Arabic Language Only:
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=72693
http://rapidshare.com/files/197960046/khatwakitaba.pdf

[MahmoudShariff]

I think that this essay makes perfect sense. I am currently living in NYC right now while my son studies nearby. I am worried that he would not be able to understand Arabic because of the different lifestyle here in America but I will make sure that he would be able to read this entry.

[Jongseong]

Now that Titus Nemeth's Aisha, a revival of Marcellin Legrand's mid-nineteenth-century Arabe maghrébin, has won a TDC² 2010 Award, I wanted to revisit this thread to ask how this maghribi typeface would be received by modern users in areas where the maghribi style was traditionally used. Would it be successful as a book face in Morocco? Or would it feel antiquated or quaint, like a German book set in fraktur, because users are so used to naskh being used exclusively for book typography? In short, what is a maghribi typeface's place in the world today?

[piccic]

I'm not dead yet… :)
@Jongseong: Aisha seems a beautiful rendition, but – extraneous as I still am with Arabic – it looks a little too "regularized" as an interpretation of Maghribi.
Thanks for providing the link: it's very beautiful. :)

[David Brezina]

Now you can get Aisha at: http://www.rosettatype.com/Aisha

[Chris Dean]

No time to read the thread but if it hasn’t been mentioned:

http://www.amazon.com/Arabic-Typography-Huda-Smitshuijzen-Abifares/dp/08...

[John Hudson]

if it hasn’t been mentioned

...there may be a reason why it hasn't been mentioned.