15 Facts About Kufic

Kufic script is a style of Arabic script that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts.

Kufic script is characterized by angular, rectilinear letterforms and its horizontal orientation.

Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts.

Kufic is defined as a highly angular form of the Arabic alphabet originally used in early copies of the Qur'an.

Kufic was prevalent in manuscripts from the 7th to 10th centuries.

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Main characteristic of the Kufic script "appears to be the transformation of the ancient cuneiform script into the Arabic letters" according to Enis Timucin Tan.

Kufic script is composed of geometrical forms like straight lines and angles along with verticals and horizontals.

Originally, Kufic did not have what is known as a differentiated consonant, which means, for example, that the letters "t", "b", and "th" were not distinguished by diacritical marks and looked the same.

Kufic script is inscribed on textiles, coins, lusterware, building and so on.

Kufic inscriptions were important in the emergence of textiles too, often functioning as decoration in the form of tiraz bands.

Square or geometric Kufic is a very simplified rectangular style widely used for tiling.

Square Kufic, sometimes known as banna'i (, "masonry" script), is a bare Arabic writing form that developed in the 12th century.

Square Kufic was originally created in Iranian architecture with bricks and tiles functioning as pixels.

Geometric Kufic sample, read clockwise, starting at bottom left (begins with the Basmala).

Square Kufic calligraphy is by no means limited to the above configurations.