Sculpted stonework with a calligraphic inscription. Seljuk, 13th century.

Islamic calligraphy, also known as ‘Arabic calligraphy’, is the artistic practice of handwriting, calligraphy, and by extension, of bookmaking, in the lands sharing a common Islamic cultural heritage. This art form is based on the Arabic script, which for a long time was used by all Muslims in their respective languages. The calligrapher can pursue different goals: the pure beauty of the line, the readability of the text, the monumentality of the inscription, symmetry, dynamic flow, even the suggestion or contours of an object.
Muslims used calligraphy to represent God because they denied representing God with images. It is especially revered among Islamic arts since it was the primary means for the preservation of the Koran. Suspicion of figurative art as idolatrous led to calligraphy and abstract depictions becoming a major form of artistic expression in Islamic cultures, especially and particularly in religious contexts.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: Wikipedia

Inscription from the Gülefşan mosque in Oba, from the Karamanoğlu period, 1373. It belongs to the door of the mosque that was made by order of Mahmut Bey, the father of Alaüddin Bey. It is written in simple Thuluth style. “Mosques belong to god. Do not pray there for anyone except god” the great prince of Karamanoğlu made it in the year 775.