Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from Iraq. You'll see three main kinds of Kufic calligraphy in Morocco: angular, geomet-
ric letters are square Kufic; ones bursting into bloom are foliate Kufic; and letters that
look like they've been tied by sailors are knotted Kufic.
Lately, contemporary artists have reinvented calligraphy as a purely expressive art
form, combining the elegant gestures of ancient scripts with the urgency of urban graffiti.
Farid Belkahia's enigmatic symbols in henna and Larbi Cherkaoui's high-impact graphic
swoops show that even freed of literal meanings, calligraphy can retain its poetry.
To ind out more about where those splendid traditional designs originated and learn to trace a
few yourself, check out
The Splendour of Islamic Calligraphy
by Abdelkebir Khatibi and Mohammed
Sijelmassi.
