![]() ![]() In the 1950s, Nasser’s nationalization and industrialization initiatives produced a unique form of branding that often involved experimental lettering and unique calligraphic creations to market its products and industries. ![]() In short, calligraphy was an important form of maintaining the Arabic language and reinforcing the resistance to foreign occupation. ![]() Another important development was the founding of the Royal School of Calligraphy in 1922 by King Fouad, which can be considered the first school in the Islamic world with the goal of preserving the art form by creating a new generation of skilled calligraphers. When Muhammad Ali ruled Egypt there was a need to create a modern visual culture and calligraphers were continually innovating and developing the script to represent a “modern Egypt”. Arabic calligraphy flourished in Egypt under the Umayyads and Abbasids and then reached its peak during the Ottoman era. Why does the calligraphic landscape in Egypt differ so sharply from other countries where Arabic is a/the official language?īH: Egypt is very unique, and there are multiple reasons for this. Where Walls of Freedom is a more political book that documents a short period in Egypt’s history, Khatt documents a long-standing tradition and familiar art form that has always been present on Egyptian streets. One of them is ‘Hajj’ paintings which influenced Ammar Abo Bakr to create some of his murals. Some of the inspiration for the beautiful murals created by street artists during the Egyptian Revolution was heavily inspired by elements that already existed on the streets or on houses in Egypt that are now documented in Khatt. Obviously, both books deal with expression on the urban landscape which you could argue loosely belongs to a form of ‘graffiti’. This book is closely related to my first book Walls of Freedom. She then proposed we work on it together. Believing that eventually those expressions found on shop signs or trucks, and many other surfaces, would be replaced with digital mediums, I approached Noha Zayed, whose photographs capture the true essence of Egyptian calligraphy in context, and suggested she create a book documenting all her findings. Egypt has a long history of calligraphic and typographic innovation compared to other Arab countries. I often find it difficult for students to find inspiration in Qatar due to the lack of traditional typographic and calligraphic lettering found in the everyday landscape. I teach Arabic type design and typography as a senior level undergraduate course. Noha co-manages the Instagram account and her striking photography and documentation of calligraphy and typography across Egypt has been a key component for creating this book. ![]() How did this book come about (it’s been in the works for a while, I believe?), and how does it intersect with/relate to the Walls of Freedom project?īasma Hamdy:This book emerged from my and Noha’s shared interest and love for Egyptian popular culture and Arabic typography. Editor Basma Hamdy - also co-editor of the 2014 book Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution - answered a few questions about this latest book, how it relates to Walls of Freedom, and why Egypt’s calligraphic landscape developed as it did. The book is a photographic exploration of Egyptian calligraphy, but also includes interviews, essays, and a history of the form. Ursula Lindsey & M Lynx Qualey discussed Khatt: Egypt’s Calligraphic Landscape at the end of Bulaq ‘s most recent episode, 22: ![]()
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