Ta‘liq
Taliq script.
(Pronounced “tah-leek”)
Meaning
- “Ta‘liq” means “suspension,” or “hanging together”
Uses
- Used for official correspondence in the royal court
- Used for writing books and letters
- Used for transcribing literary works
- Sometimes used for poems and calligraphy specimens
Taliq script.
Timeline
- Formed in 11th century, standardized by 13th century
- Still in use today
Distinctive characteristics
- Letters that don’t connect on the left are often connected in this script (unauthorized ligatures)
- Descending strokes appear as loops
- Letters are rounded with extreme contrasts in letter spacing
- Wide spaces appear between lines
- Lines ascend upward as they move from right to left
Taliq script.
Nasta‘liq
Nasta‘liq script.
(Pronounced “nes-tah-leek”; called "talik" in Turkey, called “farsi” in the Arab world)
Meaning
- “Nasta‘liq” is thought to be a hybrid of the words “naskh” and “ta‘liq”
Uses
- Nasta‘liq was originally devised to write the Persian language
- Used in Persia and India/Pakistan for literary and non-Koranic works
- Used for writing Persian poetry
- Used for albums of calligraphic specimens, called qit‘a
Nasta‘liq script.
Timeline
- Developed in 15th century Iran and perfected in the 16th century in Baghdad and Tabriz
- Still in use today
Distinctive characteristics
- Features characteristics of both naskh and ta‘liq
- Vertical strokes are short, horizontal strokes are broad and sweeping
- Letter shapes appear to be deep and hook-like
- Letter shapes vary widely in thickness
- Overall impression of swiftness, calm, fluidity
- Letters appear to “float” or “hang” across the page. This quality is increased when the text is arranged diagonally, as is common in nasta‘liq poetry
- Nasta‘liq is never written with vowels except an occasional hamza and shadda
Notes
- Very difficult to execute
- Possibly created by Mir ‘Ali Tabrizi as a result of a dream about flying ducks
Nasta‘liq script.
Shikaste
Shikaste script.
(Pronounced “shi-kas-teh”; Persian–Shekasteh)
Meaning
- “Shikaste” means “broken,” because this script is a “broken” version of the nasta‘liq (or ta‘liq) script
Uses
- Used for longer documents because it was easy to write quickly
- Used for poetry because of its flowery visual style
- Used for official proclamations
Shikaste script.
Timeline
- Developed in 14th century
- Used widely in 19th century Iran during the Qajar dynasty
- Still in use today
Distinctive characteristics
- Shikaste is the ta‘liq or nasta‘liq script written rapidly. Each word is written with a single pen stroke, without lifting the pen off the page
- Letters and words that don’t connect on the left are often connected in this script (unauthorized ligatures)
- Vertical strokes are extremely short
- Letters are written diagonally across the page
- Letter shapes are intricate, complex and dense
Notes
- This script is illegible to the inexperienced eye
Shikaste script.