Arabic calligraphy recognised by UNESCO
UNESCO has added Arabic calligraphy to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, after receiving a proposal from 16 Arabic speaking countries.
The proposal was led by Saudi Arabia, which declared 2020 and 2021 as the “Year of Arabic Calligraphy”.
In a statement published by the government of Saudi Arabia, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the country’s Minister of Culture, said, “We welcome the inscription of Arabic calligraphy, which is the result of the Kingdom championing this treasured aspect of authentic Arabic culture.”
A statement from UNESCO describes the art of Arabic calligraphy as “the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty.”
Calligraphy was originally invented to improve the legibility of Arabic script, and later became a more expressive way for artists to create unique motifs.
The form has continued to evolve as artists have used different media to create the calligraphy, including honey, black soot, saffron, and even spray paint.
As opposed to physical sites that are granted UNESCO World Heritage status, intangible cultural heritage applied to precious cultural practices.
Other heritage practices such as games, hunting practices, dances, culinary treasures and dialects have also been recognised by UNESCO in the past.
Image credits: Getty Images