On December 14, 2021, UNESCO inscribed Arabic calligraphy a key tradition in the Arab and Islamic worlds on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A total of 16 Muslim-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia, had earlier presented the nomination to UNESCO, “Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty.
The practice, which can be passed down through formal and informal education, uses the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet written in cursive, from right to left. Originally intended to make writing clear and legible, it gradually became an Islamic Arab art for traditional and modern works. The fluidity of Arabic script offers infinite possibilities, even in a single word, as letters can be stretched and transformed in numerous ways to create different motifs, according to UNESCO.
Abdelmajid Mahboub from the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society, which was involved in the proposal, said calligraphy “has always served as a symbol of the Arab-Muslim world”.
But he lamented that “many people no longer write by hand due to technological advances”, adding that the number of specialised Arab calligraphic artists had dropped sharply.
The UNESCO listing “will certainly have a positive impact” on preserving the tradition, he added.
According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage “is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalisation”.
Its importance “is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next”.
Picture Credit : Google
