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Persian Nastaliq Calligraphy

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Nastaliq is the "hanging" cursive of Persian book arts — lamp-black ink flowing down a diagonal slope, its letters swinging like dancers before settling on the line. Perfected in the Safavid ateliers of Tabriz and Isfahan by masters such as Mir Emad al-Hasani, it is the most prized of all Islamic scripts.

This design system reads Nastaliq at its deep presentation value: burnished gold letters and illuminated cloud bands glowing on a near-black, gold-flecked afshan ground, headed by gold-and-lapis cartouches and laced with vine and polychrome flowers.

Learn more about the Persian Nastaliq Calligraphy style

  • OriginPersia (Tabriz, Isfahan, Herat), Middle East
  • Periodc. 1500 (Timurid–Safavid perfection of Nastaliq); album arts flourish 16th–17th century
  • DesignerMir Ali Tabrizi · Mir Emad al-Hasani · Sultan Ali Mashhadi
  • MovementsPersian Nastaliq calligraphy · Safavid manuscript illumination (tazhib) · Album (muraqqa) arts

Web examples

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Slide examples

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