Bienvenue sur le site CallFront, la plateforme numérique issue du projet de recherche Calligraphies aux frontières du monde islamique, porté par l'Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) et Sorbonne Université, avec le soutien de l'Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR-22-CE54-0015). Le projet est dirigé par Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, en collaboration avec Maxime Durocher, et bénéficie également de l'appui de l'UMR 8167 Orient & Méditerranée, de l'Observatoire des patrimoines de l'Alliance Sorbonne Université (OPUS), du Barakat Trust et de la fondation Max van Berchem. CallFront vise à constituer un corpus numérique inédit de calligraphies en caractères arabes produites dans les zones frontières du monde islamique – de la péninsule Ibérique à la Chine, dans une perspective comparative et interrégionale, il documente des traditions souvent méconnues. Ce site donne accès aux corpus réunis par l’ensemble des membres du consortium CallFront, accompagnés de notices scientifiques détaillées. Il propose également des contenus éditoriaux et des ressources complémentaires (vidéos, entretiens, billets, articles, ontologie, agenda) valorisant ses travaux.
Welcome to the CallFront website, the digital platform resulting from the research project Calligraphies at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World, led by the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA) and Sorbonne University, with the support of the French National Research Agency (ANR-22-CE54-0015). The project is directed by Eloïse Brac de la Perrière in collaboration with Maxime Durocher, and is also supported by the UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, the Observatoire des Patrimoines de l’Alliance Sorbonne Université (OPUS), Barakat Trust, and the Max van Berchem Foundation. CallFront aims to build an unprecedented digital corpus of calligraphies in Arabic script produced in the border regions of the Islamicate world – from the Iberian Peninsula to China – documenting often little-known traditions from a comparative and cross-regional perspective. This site provides access to the corpora gathered by all members of the CallFront consortium, accompanied by detailed scholarly records. It also offers editorial content and additional resources (videos, interviews, blog posts, articles, ontology, events calendar) that showcase its work.
The CallFront Ontology An ontology is a structured, formalized way of describing the concepts within a field of knowledge and the relationships between them, often using a shared and controlled vocabulary. In the digital humanities, ontologies allow heterogeneous data to be described consistently, compared, and connected. CallFront developed its own ontology as a methodological response to the challenges of palaeographic study of Arabic script: a controlled vocabulary makes it possible to describe, in a uniform and interoperable way, scripts that span vast geographical distances and chronological periods, and to make their shared and distinctive features legible to the scientific community. Where existing standards did not allow these features to be described precisely enough, CallFront also created its own properties, gathered under the prefix cfterms. These properties are declared and documented here. Like the rest of the vocabulary, they are openly published so that they can be examined, cited, and reused beyond the project itself. Creation of a Shared Vocabulary One of the aims of the CallFront database was to create a system to describe the essential features of different Arabic scripts originating from a wide range of geographical locations and chronological periods. Most of the scripts showcased in the CallFront project possess no historical written sources theorizing their formal characteristics. The first step in understanding these scripts is to describe and analyze their formal appearance. Calligraphies in the frontiers of the Islamic world present two main streams: calligraphies that are entirely unique and those inspired by the classical canon. We have thus followed a hybrid approach to script analysis drawing on Adam Gacek's work and the calligraphic experience of contemporary calligraphers. Characters are understood according to various properties such as their position relative to the baseline, the shape of the sections that compose them, the contrast in thickness, the type of serif, or the connections between characters. The language used for the script descriptors is not meant to be an in-depth description but to establish a first layer of description, a layer that will allow the scientific community to explore the common features between the variety of the corpuses here gathered. Each script description begins with the general structure of the composition, then analyzes spacing, elongations, shading, and ligatures. The second part deals with letter morphology, focusing on types of strokes shared by multiple letters: ascenders, descenders, horizontals, denticles, counters, and the shape of the nuqta (the dot made by the qalam, commonly used as a reference proportion in the canonical calligraphies, but not necessarily for the corpuses under scrutiny). A section also describes vowels and iḥmāl marks. This grouping gives an overview of the strokes that characterize the script. This tool is not meant to provide an in-depth paleographical analysis but to help researchers identify the features that make a script unique and those that relate it to other scripts. It was designed from the outset to be reusable: by relying on shared, openly available concepts and properties, CallFront aims to offer an instrument that other researchers can adopt and adapt for their own corpora, encouraging comparison and interoperability across projects. This research is ongoing, and many of these scripts will benefit from further studies, allowing for further precisions in their description. The CallFront vocabulary was adapted to fit a thesaurus structure using Openthéso, a Huma-Num platform in line with FAIR principles, ensuring long-term accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. CallFront's vocabulary is all available here, and can be downloaded and implemented by other databases and research projects.
Le projet Calligraphies en caractères arabes dans les zones frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) est consacré à l'étude des styles calligraphiques en caractères arabes, nés dans la péninsule Ibérique, le Maghreb, l’Afrique subsaharienne, l’Anatolie, les Balkans, l’Inde, l’Asie du Sud-Est et la Chine. Ce projet, dirigé par Eloïse Brac de la Perrière en collaboration avec Maxime Durocher, a été sélectionné par l’Agence nationale de la Recherche (ANR-22-CE54-0015). Il est également soutenu par l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, Sorbonne Université, l’UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, le Centre André Chastel, l’Observatoire des Patrimoines de l’Alliance Sorbonne Université (OPUS), Barakat Trust et la fondation Max van Berchem.
English version below GUIDE DE L'UTILISATEUR
Le projet CallFront propose une base de données d'exemples calligraphiques constituée par une équipe de chercheurs, chercheuses et calligraphes. La base comprend 433 items au total et couvre une grande variété de supports (architecture, manuscrits, objets) ainsi que plusieurs zones géographiques : Chine, monde oriental et océan Indien, Grand Iran, Maghreb et Espagne, Asie du Sud, Asie du Sud- Est et Afrique de l'Ouest. 1. Structure du site : naviguer dans le site Le site est organisé autour de plusieurs sections principales accessibles depuis le menu de navigation.
Depuis la page principale, il est possible de parcourir le corpus par région et par support (Medium).
Items La section Items constitue le cœur de la base de données. Elle donne accès à l'ensemble des types calligraphiques. Choisissez les critères de tri, puis activez la fonction Sort. Vous pouvez trier les items selon les critères suivants : Created = date de création Title = titre (tri alphabétique) Resource class = classe de ressource [Critères de tri CallFront] Date created (numeric: interval) = intervalle chronologique avec une date de début et une date de fin Date created (timestamp) = date exacte (année ou date)
* Ordre de tri : choisissez Ascending ou Descending avec la commande Sort Order. Cliquez ensuite sur la commande Sort pour appliquer le tri ou le filtre. Utilisez les flèches pour naviguer entre les pages. Vous pouvez également télécharger la liste complète des résultats au format CSV.
Recherche avancée (Advanced research)
La section Recherche avancée permet de requêter sur des champs descriptifs spécifiques. Voir la section 2 pour les instructions détaillées.
Parcourir par images (Browse by images)
La section Parcourir par images offre une vue d&#39;ensemble visuelle de l&#39;ensemble du corpus. Des graphiques présentent les items organisés selon : Le lieu de production Le type d'objet (Medium) Sélectionnez le critère de visualisation : "lieu de production" ou "type of object" Utilisez la molette de défilement pour agrandir la frise et afficher l’ensemble des lieux ou des types d’objets.
Sélectionnez ensuite un item pour accéder à sa notice descriptive complète («Voir ce contenu »).
Cette section est particulièrement utile pour obtenir une perspective globale de la collection.
Carte
La section Carte affiche les items sur une carte géographique interactive. Chaque item est représenté par un marqueur circulaire. Deux niveaux de précision sont disponibles : Localisation approximative Localisation exacte Cliquez sur un marqueur pour accéder à la notice de l'item correspondant.
Ontologie La section Ontologie renvoie vers OpenTheso, le thésaurus utilisé pour standardiser le vocabulaire descriptif appliqué dans l’ensemble de la base de données. Elle permet d’explorer le vocabulaire contrôlé et les termes hiérarchisés utilisés dans les notices.
Ressources
La section Ressources donne accès aux publications et productions audiovisuelles en lien avec la programmation scientifique du projet de recherche Callfront : Articles Vidéos Ouvrages Podcasts
À propos (About) La section À propos présente le projet CallFront, notamment : Une présentation du projet et de ses objectifs scientifiques L'équipe de recherche, composée de chercheurs, chercheuses et calligraphes Les événements passés liés au projet
Structure des notices Chaque item de la base de données dispose d'une URL unique et d'une notice descriptive structurée. Chaque notice comprend : Descripteur de l’item : auteur ou autrice et contributeurs de la notice, date et lieu de création, localisation actuelle, langue, type de texte, type d’objet, dimensions, surface d’écriture, mise en page et instrument utilisé. Descripteur du script : l’analyse calligraphique est structurée selon les caractéristiques générales du script, la morphologie des lettres, la description des hampes ascendantes et descendantes, les horizontales, la vocalisation et les signes diacritiques.
Image de l’item et métadonnées de l’image ; le lieu de création géolocalisé peut être consulté à l’aide de l’icône Carte.
Chaque notice dispose d’une URL permanente qui peut être mise en favori ou partagée.
2. Utiliser la recherche avancée Le site propose plusieurs outils de recherche et d’exploration permettant de mettre en relation les caractéristiques calligraphiques. Ces formulaires sont liés aux vocabulaires contrôlés de CallFront (thésaurus) utilisés pour décrire les calligraphies. Formulaire de recherche : recherche en plein texte ou recherche à critères multiples Facettes permettant de trier les résultats sur des critères descriptifs des item et des scripts : lieu de production, date, type d’objet, caractéristiques du script, etc. Export des résultats de recherche au format CSV Comment utiliser la recherche avancée La commande Recherche avancée se trouve dans le ruban du menu principal (icone Loupe).
Le formulaire est divisé en trois grandes zones : La recherche en plein texte (Search full-text) qu'il est possible de combiner à une recherche par collection : lieu de création et type d'objet (Search by item set) Utilisez le champ Recherche plein texte pour effectuer une recherche dans toutes les notices à l’aide d’un mot-clé ou d’une expression. La recherche Search by item set associée à l'opérateur "In / Not in" (contient/ ne contient pas) pour inclure ou exclure des sous-ensembles spécifiques d’items. Vous pouvez également restreindre les résultats à une zone géographique précise à l’aide du sélecteur de région. Cliquez sur le bouton + pour ajouter des critères supplémentaires. Recherche combinée sur objet (Item descriptor) Cette section permet d'interroger la base de données sur les propriétés physiques et contextuelles de chaque item. Utilisez l’opérateur ET / OU pour combiner plusieurs critères. Pour chaque critère, sélectionnez un champ dans le menu déroulant : Auteur Contributeurs Lieu de production Langue Type de texte Nature du texte Script Couleur du script Rôle de la signature Type d'objet Surface d'écriture Forme (épigraphie) Technique, Instrument Encre L'activation d'une rubrique actionne une zone de saisie supplémentaire « contains » (contient) associée à une liste de mots-clés. Cliquez sur le bouton + pour ajouter autant de critères que nécessaire. * Utilisez l’opérateur AND (Et) pour affiner vos résultats ; utilisez OR (Ou) pour les élargir. Par défaut, [Any property] signifie que la requête portera sur tous les champs de la notice. Recherche combinée sur type calligraphique (Script descriptor) La section Descripteur de script permet de filtrer selon les caractéristiques formelles du script calligraphique. Sélectionnez une catégorie dans le menu déroulant : Caractéristiques générales du script (General script descriptors) Morphologie des lettres (Letter morphology) Hampes descendantes (Ascenders) Hampes ascendantes (Descenders) Horizontales (Horizontals) Denticules (Denticles) Contreformes (Counters) Vocalisation et signes diacritiques (Vocalization and diacritics) Choisissez ensuite « contient » et saisissez votre valeur. Cliquez sur le bouton + pour ajouter des critères de recherche supplémentaires.
3. Description du modèle de données Callfront Item descriptor décrit l'objet porteur de la calligraphie (le médium) : Auteur / Contributeur — personne(s) responsable(s) de la création de l’item ; Lieu de production — lieu où l’item a été produit ; Langue — langue(s) du texte ; Type de texte — classification du contenu textuel ; Nature du texte — genre ou fonction spécifique du texte ; Script — type de script utilisé ; Couleur du script — couleur du script telle qu’elle apparaît sur le support ; Rôle de la signature — fonction de toute signature présente ; Type d’objet — catégorie de support physique ; Surface d’écriture — matériau sur lequel le texte est écrit ; Forme (épigraphie) — forme de la surface inscrite, pour les items épigraphiques ; Technique — technique d’exécution ; Instrument — instrument d’écriture utilisé ; Encre — type d’encre ou de pigment.
Script Descriptor décrit les particularités calligraphiques de l'inscription. Caractéristiques générales du script — style général et attributs visuels d’ensemble ; Morphologie des lettres — forme des points (point rond, point carré, point en larme, etc.) ; Hampes ascendantes — propriétés des traits verticaux s’élevant au-dessus de la ligne médiane ; Hampes descendantes — propriétés des lettres dont les traits verticaux descendent sous la ligne de base ; Horizontales — propriétés des traits horizontaux au sein des lettres ; Denticules — formes initiales et médianes de certains caractères du script arabe ; Contreformes — espaces fermés ou partiellement fermés à l’intérieur des lettres ; Vocalisation et signes diacritiques — présence et style des signes vocaliques et diacritiques. * Pour chaque section, sélectionnez les caractéristiques recherchées à l’aide des cases à cocher ou des menus déroulants disponibles.
FAQ - FOIRE AUX QUESTIONS D'où viennent les photographies? Les photographies présentées sur la plateforme ont été fournies par les chercheurs et les calligraphes participant au projet CallFront. La liste complète des contributeurs est disponible dans la rubrique À propos - Équipe de recherche. Chaque photographie est accompagnée d'informations relatives aux droits et à l'attribution dans sa notice. Veuillez noter que les conditions de réutilisation varient selon l'image et son titulaire de droits. Certaines images ne peuvent pas être réutilisées sans autorisation préalable. Lorsqu'il est disponible, le bouton IIIF permet d'accéder à l'image via le service IIIF de l'institution qui la conserve. L'accès aux images en haute résolution ou aux ressources IIIF peut être soumis aux politiques de l'institution détentrice et, dans certains cas, nécessiter une authentification. PUIS-JE RÉUTILISER LES IMAGES ? Chaque notice d’item propose des boutons dédiés au téléchargement et au partage du contenu : · Bouton IIIF : permet d’accéder à l’image via le protocole IIIF pour une réutilisation interopérable dans des environnements compatibles · Bouton PDF : permet de télécharger une version PDF de la notice complète de l’item, COMMENT CITER UN ITEM ? Chaque notice d’item propose des outils permettant de faciliter la citation correcte des sources : · Bouton Citer : génère une référence bibliographique formatée pour l’item, prête à être copiée et collée dans une publication · Bouton CSV : exporte les métadonnées de l’item au format CSV, utilisable dans un tableur ou un logiciel de gestion de références * Utilisez toujours la fonction Citer pour vous assurer que vos références sont conformes au format de citation recommandé par le projet.
User Manuel NAVIGATE THE SITE The CallFront project offers a database of calligraphical examples compiled by a team of researchers and calligraphers. The database contains 433 items in total, covering a wide variety of supports (Architecture, manuscripts, objects) and geographic areas (China, Eastern and Indian Ocean, Greater Iran, Maghrib and Spain, South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Africa). 1. Site Structure The site is organised around several main sections accessible from the navigation menu:
From the main page, it is possible to browse the corpus by region and medium:
Items The Items section is the center of the database. It gives access to all calligraphical examples samples. Choose the sorting criteria and activate the key Sort. You can sort items by: [Default sorting criteria] Created = Date of creation Resource class [CallFront sorting criteria] Title (tri alphabétique) Date created (numeric: interval) = time interval witch start and end dates in each instance of the property Date created (timestamp) = which can be as broad as a year or formatted as a date and time
* Sorting order: choose Ascending or Descending using the Sort Order control. Then click the Action button to apply the sort or filter. Use the arrow buttons to navigate between pages. You can also download the full list of items as a CSV file.
Advanced Search
The Advanced Search section lets you apply precise filters to find specific calligraphical examples. See Section 2 for full instructions.
Browse by Images
Browse by Images provides a visual overview of the entire corpus. Charts display all items organised by: Place of production Type of object Use the scoll wheel to enlarge the friese and get all the places or type of objet.
And select an item with the mouse click to access the item full descriptive record (“Voir ce contenu”).
This section is ideal for getting a broad visual perspective of the collection.
Map
The Map section plots items on an interactive geographical map. Each item is represented by a circle marker. Two precision levels are available: Approximate location Exact location Click on a marker to access the corresponding item record.
Ontology The Ontology section provides a link to OpenTheso, the thesaurus used to standardise the descriptive vocabulary applied throughout the database. It allows users to explore the controlled vocabulary and hierarchical terms used in item descriptions.
Resources
The Resources section gathers a selection of scientific and educational materials related to the study of calligraphy, including: Articles Videos Books Podcasts
About The About section presents the CallFront project, including: A presentation of the project and its scientific objectives The research team (researchers and calligraphers whose photographs appear in the database) Past events related to the project
2. Structure of item records Each item in the database has a unique URL and a structured descriptive record. A record typically contains: - Item descriptor: author and contributor of the record, date and place of creation, present location, language, type of text, type of object, dimensions, writing surface, layout and instrument used. - Script descriptor: the calligraphy analyses is structured in General Script characteristics, letter morphology, description of Ascenders and Descenders, Horizontals, Vocalization and diacritics.
- Item image and image metadata. Get the geolocated place of creation with the Map Icon.
Each record has its own permanent URL that can be bookmarked or shared.
USING THE ADVANCED SEARCH The site offers several search and exploration tools to relate calligraphic characteristics. These forms are linked with Callfront controlled vocabularies (thesaurus): Advanced search form with multiple criteria (full-text search, item set filtering, item descriptor and script descriptor). Facets to filter results by item and script descriptors (place of production, date, type of object, script characteristics, and more) Export of search results in CSV 1. How to use the advanced search To access the Advanced Search, click the Advanced Search tab in the main navigation.
The form is divided into two main areas: ITEM DESCRIPTOR The Item Descriptor section allows you to filter by the physical and contextual properties of each item. Use the AND / OR operator to combine multiple criteria. For each criterion, select a field from the dropdown menu: Author Contributors Place of production Language Type of text Nature of text Script Colour of script Signature role Type of object Writing surface Shape (epigraphy) Technique, Instrument Ink Then choose "contains" and enter your search value. Click the + button to add as many criteria as needed. *Use the AND operator to narrow your results; use OR to broaden them.
SCRIPT DESCRIPTOR The Script Descriptor section allows you to filter by the formal characteristics of the calligraphic script. Select a category from the dropdown menu : General Script Characteristics Lettre Morphology Descenders Ascenders Horizontals Denticles Counters Vocalization and Diacritics Then choose "contains" and enter your search value. Click the + button to add additional criteria.
Other available actions: FULL-TEXT SEARCH Use the Search full-text field to search across all item records using a keyword or phrase. SEARCH BY ITEM SET Use the Search by item set field (in / not in) to include or exclude specific subsets of items. You can also restrict results to a specific geographic region using the region selector. Click the + button to add additional criteria.
2. Metadata model description of the fields The Item Descriptor and Script Descriptor metadata model are organised as follows: THE ITEM DESCRIPTOR tab Author / Contributor — person(s) responsible for the creation of the item; Place of production — location where the item was produced; Language — language(s) of the text; Type of text — classification of the textual content; Nature of text — specific genre or function of the text; Script — script type used; Colour of script — colour of the script as it appears on the support; Signature role — function of any signature present; Type of object — category of physical support; Writing surface — material on which the text is written; Shape (epigraphy) — shape of the inscribed surface, for epigraphic items; Technique — execution technique; Instrument — writing instrument used; Ink — type of ink or pigment. SCRIPT DESCRIPTOR tab General Script Characteristics — overall style and general visual attributes; Letter Morphology — the form of points (round dot, square dot, teardrop dot, etc.); Ascenders — properties of vertical strokes extending above the median line; Descenders — properties of letters with vertical strokes extending below the baseline; Horizontals — properties of horizontal strokes within letters; Denticles — initial and medial forms of certain Arabic script characters; Counters — enclosed or partially enclosed spaces within letters; Vocalization and Diacritics — presence and style of vowel marks and diacritical signs. * For each section, select the characteristics you are looking for using the available checkboxes or dropdown menus.
FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION Where do photographs come from? The photographs displayed on the platform have been provided by the researchers and calligraphers involved in the CallFront project. A full list of contributors is available in the About - Research Team section. Each photograph is accompanied by rights and attribution information in its item record. Please note that reuse permissions vary depending on the image and its rights holder. Some images may not be reused without prior authorization. Where available, the IIIF button provides access to the image through the holding institution's IIIF service. Access to high-resolution images or IIIF resources may be subject to the policies of the providing institution and, in some cases, may require authenticated access. Can I reuse the images? Each item record provides dedicated buttons for downloading and sharing content: IIIF button: access the image via the IIIF protocol for interoperable reuse in compatible environments. PDF button: download a PDF version of the full item record, including all descriptive information and the photograph. How do I cite an item? Each item record provides tools to facilitate correct citation: Cite button: generates a formatted bibliographic citation for the item, ready to copy and paste into a publication. CSV button: exports the metadata of the item in CSV format, suitable for use in a spreadsheet or reference management tool. * Always use the Cite function to ensure your references are consistent with the project's recommended citation format.
Read this page in English Site web : https://callfront.inha.fr Éditeur : Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) Contact : 2 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris, France — Tél. : +33 (0)1 47 03 89 00 1. Introduction Le site web Calligraphies in Arabic Script at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World (CallFront), accessible à l'adresse https://callfront.inha.fr, est consacré à l'étude et à la documentation des styles calligraphiques en caractères arabes de la péninsule Ibérique, du Maghreb, de l'Afrique subsaharienne, de l'Anatolie, des Balkans, de l'Inde, de l'Asie du Sud-Est et de la Chine. Le projet CallFront a été dirigé par Éloïse Brac de la Perrière, en collaboration avec Maxime Durocher, et soutenu par l'Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR-22-CE54-0015), l'Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA), Sorbonne Université, l'UMR 8167 Orient & Méditerranée, l'Observatoire des Patrimoines de Sorbonne Université (OPUS), le Barakat Trust et la Fondation Max van Berchem. En accédant à ce site et en l'utilisant, vous acceptez l'intégralité des conditions générales suivantes. Si vous êtes en désaccord avec l'une quelconque de ces conditions, vous ne devez pas utiliser le site. 2. Mentions légales Propriétaire et éditeur du site : Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) 2 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris, France Téléphone : +33 (0)1 47 03 89 00 Directeur de la publication : Éloïse Brac de la Perrière, conseillère scientifique (INHA), Maxime Durocher (Sorbonne Université) Hébergement et développement du site : Hébergé par le Service numérique de la recherche (SNR) de l'INHA 2 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris, France Thème développé par Protocole Astral 10 Impasse du Sabotier, 43200 Beaux https://protocole-astral.net/fr 3. Propriété intellectuelle et réutilisation Sauf mention contraire, l'ensemble des contenus textuels et des métadonnées disponibles sur ce site web sont placés sous licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). En vertu de cette licence, les utilisateurs sont autorisés à : Reproduire et rediffuser les contenus et les métadonnées, à condition que la source soit correctement citée, en mentionnant l'auteur, le titre, l'éditeur, la date de mise à jour et l'URL. Modifier, intégrer ou enrichir les contenus et les métadonnées, dès lors que leur sens et leur exactitude ne sont pas dénaturés et que la source n'est pas dénaturée. Utiliser ces éléments dans le monde entier et sans limitation de durée, à des fins commerciales ou non commerciales. Les illustrations ou images sont exclues de cette licence, sauf mention contraire explicite. 4. Données personnelles et cookies Le site web CallFront ne collecte pas de données personnelles à des fins commerciales. Toute donnée collectée pour le fonctionnement technique ou l'analyse d'audience est conforme à la législation applicable en matière de protection des données, notamment au Règlement général sur la protection des données (RGPD). Les cookies, le cas échéant, sont exclusivement destinés à la mesure d'audience ou à l'amélioration des fonctionnalités. En poursuivant votre navigation sur le site web, vous acceptez l'utilisation de ces cookies lorsqu'elle s'applique. 5. Responsabilité L'INHA met tout en œuvre pour assurer l'exactitude et la mise à jour régulière des informations publiées sur ce site web. Toutefois, l'INHA ne peut garantir l'exhaustivité ni l'actualité des données et ne saurait être tenu responsable des erreurs ou omissions, ni des résultats obtenus par l'utilisation de ces informations. Les liens externes proposés sur ce site sont fournis à titre informatif uniquement et n'impliquent aucune approbation de la part de l'INHA. L'INHA n'est pas responsable du contenu des sites web externes. 6. Modification des conditions L'INHA se réserve le droit de mettre à jour ou de modifier ces conditions d'utilisation à tout moment, sans préavis. Les utilisateurs sont invités à consulter régulièrement cette page. 7. Droit applicable et juridiction compétente Les présentes conditions générales d'utilisation sont régies par le droit français. Tout litige relatif à l'interprétation ou à l'utilisation de ce site relève de la compétence des tribunaux compétents de Paris, France.
If you would like further information, please send an email to: callfront@inha.fr
The CallFront project developed a controlled vocabulary for the description of letters in Arabic script, aiming to help researchers identify the features that make a script unique and those that relate it to other scripts. It was adapted to fit a thesaurus structure using Opentheso, a Huma-Num platform in line with FAIR principles, ensuring long-term accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. CallFront's vocabulary is all available here, and can be downloaded and implemented by other databases and research projects. You can read more about the conception of this vocabulary on the Ontology page of this website.
Openthéso th519 Script Descriptor interface.
Albina Toumarkine, MA Islamic Art, Sorbonne Université (2022) Dorine Aguenier, MA Islamic Art, Sorbonne Université (2023) Mathilde Morel, MA Islamic Art, Sorbonne Université (2023) Reda Tamtam, MA Digital Humanities, Ecole nationale des chartes (2023) Mohammed I. Mechentel, MA Digital Technologies Applied to History, Ecole nationale des chartes (2023) Hêvi Saado, MA Islamic Art, Sorbonne Université ; MA Geopolitics of Art & Culture, Sorbonne Nouvelle (2024) Alix Énée, MA Medieval Art, Sorbonne Université (2025) Daria Maksimova, MA Islamic Art, Sorbonne Université (2025) Mariam Rzaeva, MA Islamic Art, Sorbonne Université (2026)
Coordinator of the CallFront Project Professor of Islamic Art History Sorbonne University Institutional Page Scientific Advisor Institut national d'Histoire de l'Art Institutional Page
Eloïse Brac de la Perrière is Professor of Islamic Art at Sorbonne University and scientific advisor for the Department of Studies and Research at the INHA, in charge of the section ‘Art history from the fourth to the fifteenth century’. She has devoted several studies to manuscripts in Sultanate India, including L’art du livre dans l’Inde des sultanats (2008) and Le Coran de Gwalior. Polysémie d’un manuscrit à peintures (2016). She has led a research program about the painted manuscripts of Kalīla wa Dimna at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and shared the curatorship of the exhibition “Paroles de bêtes (à l’usage des princes)” (Institut du monde arabe, Paris). Her work explores the social and material history in the frontier regions of the Islamic world and addresses the cross-cultural existence of writing forms and iconography. Eloïse Brac de la Perrière is currently conducting the international research project Calligraphies at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World – CallFront, which is in continuation with her research on Bihari Qurans.
Coordinator of the Digital Strategy Scientific Advisor for Sorbonne University Lecturer in Islamic Art and Archaeology Sorbonne University Institutional Page
Maxime Durocher is Lecturer in Islamic Art and Archaeology at Sorbonne University, from which he obtained his PhD in 2018 with a dissertation about the architecture and settlement patterns of Sufi communities in Medieval Anatolia. He has worked as a post-doc fellow at the University of Bonn (2018) and at the Department of Islamic Art of the Musée du Louvre (2019) and has participated to the Crossing Frontiers : Christians and Muslims and their art in Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus, Getty Connecting Art Histories Project. His current research focuses on the archaeology of settlement, particularly around the site of Komana (Turkey) where he conducts excavations, and the epigraphic material of Medieval and Ottoman Anatolia. Maxime has also an interest in the use and valorization of scientific archives related to Islamic Heritage. He has organized an international conference on this topic at the Louvre and Sorbonne in 2019 (the proceedings are in preparation for publication in 2024) and co-direct the Mashreq-Maghreb Project. He is scientific advisor of CallFront for Sorbonne University and in charge of the digital strategy of the project.
Senior Researcher Research Center for Treasures of Religion and Civilization, National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia Contact : aliakbar.kaligrafi@gmail.com
Ali Akbar is a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia. Previously he worked at Bayt al-Qur’an & Museum Istiqlal, Jakarta (2007-2021). His research interests are codicology, calligraphy, palaeography, lithography, and the art of Southeast Asian Qur’ans and Islamic manuscripts. Akbar’s publications include co-authored ‘Islamic Manuscripts’ in James Bennett & Russell Kelty (eds.), Interwoven journeys: Michael Abbott collections of Asian Art (Adelaide, 2023): 225-236; ‘The Influence of Ottoman Qur’ans in Southeast Asia through the Ages,’ in A.C.S. Peacock and Annabel Teh Gallop (eds), From Anatolia to Aceh: Ottomans, Turks and Southeast Asia (Oxford University Press, 2015): 311-334; ‘Tracing individual styles: Islamic calligraphy from Nusantara,’Lektur 5:2 (2007): 244-255; and co-authored ‘The Art of the Qur’an in Banten: Calligraphy and Illumination,’ Archipel 72 (2006): 95-126. He writes a blog (in Indonesian) on the Qur’ans in Southeast Asia.
Maḥmūd Muḥammad Dadab, better known as Cheikh Hamou, is a scholar and master calligrapher in Mali. As a leading scholar in the Islamic sciences in Timbuktu, and a specialist in the sciences of hadith and fiqh, Cheikh Hamou trained numerous students in the region. He also specializes in manuscripts produced and kept in Mali and worked at the Ahmed Baba Institute (IHERI-ABT) as a prospector of manuscripts for several years. He was also Pedagogical Advisor at the Pedagogical Animation Centre of Timbuktu (CAP) and was in charge of the ISESCO-AMAI library. He has written numerous works on the history of manuscripts, such as the one entitled “Quelques heritages de Tombouctou et du Sahel” published with ISESCO, or the article “The works of Shaykh Sidi al-Mukhtar al-Kunti” in The Meanings of Timbuktu (Cape Town: HSRC Press, 2008). He is also the author of several other works on traditional Islamic themes. In addition to his scholarly activities, Cheikh Hamou is one of the last remaining Masters of West African Arabic Calligraphy in Timbuktu. He was trained by the great masters of the region and has been producing his own pieces for the last 20 years as well as recopying local manuscripts.
Click here to read this page in English
Durant les périodes médiévale et moderne, l’usage de la calligraphie en caractères arabes s’est étendu à toutes les langues transcrites dans l’alphabet arabe et ses variantes, donnant naissance à une multitude de styles sur des supports extrêmement variés (manuscrits, inscriptions monumentales, objets, textiles …). Dans les territoires éloignés du berceau historique de la civilisation islamique où furent établies les règles de la calligraphie en caractères arabes dite classique, les pratiques graphiques se sont souvent développées en marge du canon et paraissent obéir à des logiques propres. De nouveaux styles ont ainsi émergé, parfois dérivés d’écritures canoniques, mais le plus souvent fondés sur une esthétique spécifique et sur des modes de transmission distincts. Nous avons choisi de désigner ces régions comme les « frontières » du monde islamique, afin de souligner à la fois leur éloignement géographique du centre historique et leurs interactions intenses avec d'autres communautés culturelles, linguistiques et scripturaires.Pour documenter et comprendre la fabrication et l’usage de la calligraphie en caractères arabes dans l’ensemble de ces régions, sur un temps long, le projet CallFront rassemble des spécialistes issus de différentes disciplines (histoire, histoire de l’art, codicologie, anthropologie, paléographie, épigraphie et archéologie) dont les travaux portent sur ces écritures. CallFront s’articule autour de deux principaux axes de recherche : Rassembler, décrire et documenter des corpus isolés CallFront s'appuie sur un corpus numérique partagé rassemblant des calligraphies jusqu'ici étudiées isolément, permettant leur comparaison systématique et la mise en évidence de leurs liens. Développé grâce au système de gestion de contenu open-source Omeka-S, ce corpus est hébergé par l’INHA. Il s’appuie sur les résultats de la phase exploratoire du projet (2020-2022) qui a permis d’établir des protocoles de description à la base d’une ontologie de la calligraphie en caractères arabes. Pour pallier la rareté des informations dans la littérature sur ces calligraphies des frontières, une collecte des sources conventionnelles mentionnant, directement ou indirectement, l’existence de calligraphies non canoniques (biographies, hagiographies, chroniques historiques), ainsi que de sources moins connues circulant dans les cercles de calligraphes (manuels, modèles de professeurs et corrections) a été organisée. Analyser les pratiques calligraphiques : la Praxis Le projet propose une étude approfondie de la praxis, menée en collaboration avec une équipe de calligraphes, sous la coordination de Nuria Garcia Masip. Il s’agit de reconstituer la chaîne opératoire de certains styles calligraphiques dont la pratique a, parfois, disparu et de documenter les savoirs encore vivants concernant les calligraphies des frontières du monde islamique. Les procédés d’apprentissage et de transmission qui ont prévalu dans le processus de création ne sont pas connus. En l’absence de documentation, il était indispensable de recourir à de nouvelles méthodes d’analyse. Inspiré par des procédés de « learning by making » et des « re-creative techniques », CallFront repose sur une collaboration étroite entre chercheurs et calligraphes professionnels. La praxis calligraphique est l'un des axes fondamentaux du projet CallFront, qui vise à étudier la calligraphie à travers à la fois les témoignages historiques et la pratique vivante. Le premier volet de cet axe porte sur les pratiques recréatives, menées dans le cadre de collaborations entre chercheurs et calligraphes professionnels, dans le but de « re-créer » des écritures historiques et de retrouver des techniques d'écriture perdues. Ces collaborations ont permis d'explorer des écritures éteintes ou peu documentées par l'expérimentation pratique, en testant les hypothèses proposées par les chercheurs et en travaillant avec des outils et des matériaux traditionnels. Quelques exemples de ces expérimentations sont documentés dans les billets de blog Exploring Recreative Practice Methodologies in Islamic Art – Writing on Stone at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World et Experimenting with Maghribī scripts: tools and techniques. Parallèlement, une partie importante du projet est consacrée à la documentation du travail des calligraphes contemporains qui continuent aujourd'hui de pratiquer des styles d'écriture issus des régions frontalières. Le travail de terrain mené auprès de ces calligraphes a été rassemblé dans une série de vidéos documentaires qui rendent compte de leurs outils, de leurs matériaux et de leurs techniques d'écriture. La recherche s'intéresse également au parcours d'apprentissage de ces calligraphes, offrant un éclairage précieux sur les méthodes de transmission propres à ces écritures. Documenter ces trajectoires est essentiel pour enregistrer et préserver des pratiques aujourd'hui soit quasiment éteintes, soit en rapide mutation sous l'effet des influences contemporaines. Nous espérons que cette documentation favorisera une compréhension plus approfondie des origines, de l'évolution et de la richesse de ces diverses traditions d'écriture. Diffusion scientifique Pour valoriser les avancées du projet, l’équipe CallFront a participé à de nombreux événements: séminaires, congrès, colloques. Par ailleurs, le séminaire CallFront, organisé à l’INHA, a accueilli plusieurs membres du consortium afin qu’ils puissent y présenter leurs recherches. Deux workshops ont été organisés pour stimuler les échanges et de donner corps aux notions théoriques et pratiques liées à la praxis. Le premier portait sur l’art de la calligraphie en caractères arabes, de la péninsule Ibérique à l’Afrique de l’Ouest ; le second, sur les inscriptions monumentales aux marges du monde islamique. Ces rencontres ont réuni chercheurs, calligraphes, et tailleur de pierre, favorisant ainsi un dialogue entre réflexion académique et savoir-faire pratique, dans un cadre propice à l’expérimentation. En parallèle, l'équipe CallFront, accompagnée d'un cameraman, est allée à la rencontre des calligraphes lors de missions de terrain au Maroc, au Sénégal et en Chine. Ces missions visaient à documenter des pratiques calligraphiques encore vivantes, en répertoriant les outils, matériaux et techniques utilisées. Ils ont également permis d'enrichir les corpus. Les vidéos et photographies constituent à la fois des archives scientifiques précieuses et des ressources visuelles de grande valeur pour la recherche. Les travaux menés au sein de CallFront ont aussi donné lieu à la publication de plusieurs billets de blog. En complément, des interviews de chercheurs et calligraphes, tous membres du consortium CallFront, permettent de comprendre comment leur participation au projet a nourri leur étude ou leur approche artistique. Pour clôturer le projet, un colloque international s’est tenu à Paris du 15 au 17 janvier 2026. Trois grands axes y ont été explorés : les variations des calligraphies canoniques dans les zones étudiées dans le cadre du projet CallFront ; les calligraphies du pouvoir, à travers l’analyse des documents de chancellerie ; et les calligraphies illisibles, et l’analyse sémiologique de la calligraphie. Ce colloque a offert aux membres du consortium l’occasion de présenter leurs travaux, de confronter leurs interprétations et d’ouvrir la voie à de nouvelles perspectives et collaborations scientifiques.
Le projet CallFront sur le site de L'INHA Consultez le blog de CallFront sur Hypothèses
Canonical calligraphy on the Ottoman frontier: Preliminary considerations on thuluth inscriptions from the Balkans
Vincent Thérouin Article originally published on Hypothèses, 1 February 2024.
During the month of June 2023, I had the opportunity to conduct field work in Greece and Türkiye thanks to a grant from the École française d’Athènes. Starting in Athens, I travelled to Istanbul via Northern Greece and Turkish Thrace. On the way, the aim was to stop at sites where dedicatory inscriptions dating from the early Ottoman period were possibly still visible and accessible, such as in Thessaloniki, Komotini and Edirne.
Fig. 1. Distribution by country of TEI-referenced inscriptions from the Balkans and Anatolia dated between the 14th and 16th centuries (GIS & CAD : V. Thérouin)
Early Ottoman inscriptions in the Balkans have been known for a long time as documentary sources. Indeed, dedicatory inscriptions affixed to monuments contain valuable information about individuals, including the founder (e.g. name, gender and title reflecting a position in the Ottoman social hierarchy), the function of the building, and a date. The inscriptions were therefore deciphered, edited and studied since the early 20th century. The Thésaurus d’Épigraphie Islamique (or TEI, supported by the Max van Berchem Foundation and the University of Liège) is a remarkable tool for a first approach to this material. However, the contrast between the number of TEI entries relating to Anatolia and the number relating to the Balkans is striking (Fig. 1). In the TEI, the overwhelming majority of Ottoman inscriptions dating from the 15th and 16th centuries are located in Anatolia. This observation can be seen as the reflection of two dynamics. Firstly, it testifies to the disappearance of Ottoman inscriptions in the Balkans, following the gradual withdrawal of Ottoman rule in the region from the early 19th century. Shifts in political authority, from an Ottoman to a nascent national one, were accompanied by the destruction of Ottoman heritage, which was perceived to be foreign to the region. Secondly, the disappearance of these objects has completely marginalised the Balkans in studies of Ottoman material culture, which tend to limit themselves to the borders of contemporary Türkiye.
Fig. 2. Shaikh Hamdullah ibn Mustafa Dede, Album of Calligraphies Including Poetry and Prophetic Traditions (Hadith), ca. 1500, Made in Turkey, probably Istanbul, Purchase, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1982.120.3
Seen primarily as historical texts rather than material objects, Ottoman inscriptions have rarely been approached for the stylistic and morphological features of the scripts. The paucity of art historical approaches to epigraphy might be due to disciplinary compartmentalisation, but also to primacy given to the calligraphic canon. Indeed, these inscriptions were almost exclusively characterized as “thuluthscript”. Thuluth is one of the “Six Styles” (ar. al-aqlām al-sittah) initially codified within the Abbasid courts between the 9th and 13th centuries. Later, at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman calligraphy school continued to develop this style under the aegis of Şeyh Hamdullah[1] (1436-1520), making thuluth one of the primary display scripts used both in manuscripts and on monuments (Fig. 2). Treatises of Ottoman calligraphers have also played a major role in shaping the understanding of calligraphy by modern scholarship. By relying on them, scientific research inscribed itself in an older discourse applied to the history of calligraphy, perceiving it through a limited number of standardised and unitary stylistic canons. Still, variations from the calligraphic canon in terms of composition and character shapes are discernible from one inscription to another. In the light of the following examples, documented in situ and subsequently studied with the help of master calligrapher Nuria Garcia Masip, preliminary formal considerations can be suggested. In the present blogpost, a representative panel of fifteenth-century inscriptions, all produced by anonymous calligraphers, will be shown with the aim to highlight the formal diversity of thuluth inscriptions displayed in the Early Ottoman Balkans. In parallel, we will try to answer the following underlying question: what do we mean by thuluth, after all? Starting from Athens, I first visited Thessaloniki, in Northern Greece. Despite the 1917 fire and its subsequent reconstruction, Thessaloniki still preserves a significant Ottoman heritage, now promoted by the local Ephorate of Antiquities.
Fig. 3. View of the Heptapyrgion/Yedikule gate, Thessaloniki
Fig. 4. Dedicatory inscription of Murad II, Heptapyrgion/Yedikule gate, Thessaloniki
A first inscription to be mentioned here is the one placed on the portal to the citadel of Thessaloniki known as Heptapyrgion or Yedikule. It is important to note that the inscription was placed in a space already characterised by the accretion of various iconographic narratives relating to the city’s Byzantine, Latin and Venetian pasts (Fig. 3). Bearing an Arabic text, the inscription is dated from 834 AH (1430-1431), the year in which the city was conquered for the second time by the Ottomans, by the sultan Murad II (1421-1444), named in the epigraph.[2] The inscription is carved in bas-relief on a rectangular marble plaque and distributed across five bands, the first two of which are divided by a tuğra, the Ottoman sultans’ personal monogram (Fig. 4). The characters are interwoven but can be distinguished. Maintenance of proportions as well as consistency along the letterforms can be observed, although the ascenders are kept relatively short.
Fig. 5. View of the men’s section portal, hammam of Murad II or “Bey Hamam”, Thessaloniki
Fig. 6. Dedicatory inscription, hammam of Murad II or “Bey Hamam”, Thessaloniki
In the intramural part of Thessaloniki, many other structures founded in the 15th century still present a dedicatory inscription. Among them is the “Bey Hamam” (Fig. 5), founded by Murad II in 848 AH (1444-1445), as indicated on the Arabic inscription placed on the men’s section portal (Fig. 6).[3] The inscription has been carved on a plate in the form of a tabula ansata (although only extending to the right). No band has been drawn but the inscription consists of three lines of interlaced bas-relief characters, punctuated by a few floral motifs (designated as rumi). Respect for proportions and regularity in letterforms characterise the Bey Hamam’s dedicatory inscription as well, despite a noteworthy rigidity and verticality of the shafts (e.g. alif, lam and ṭā’/ẓā’).
Fig. 7. View of İshak Paşa mosque or “Alaca Imaret”, Thessaloniki
Fig. 8. Dedicatory inscription, İshak Paşa mosque or “Alaca Imaret”, Thessaloniki
North-east of this hammam is a structure known as “Alaca imaret” or İshak Paşa mosque (Fig. 7). According to the text of the Arabic inscription placed on the gateway to the central space of the building (Fig. 8), its founder was İshak, son of İbrahim, the grand vizier of Mehmed II (1451-1481) and then Bayezid II (1481-1512). The function of the building (imaretand/then mosque) is specified in the inscription (ar. dār al-khayr)[4] as well as in the vakıfname, both dated to the same year, 889 AH (1484-1485). The inscription is borne by a rectangular plaque and is divided into eight identically sized cartouches with poly-lobed ends. The intertwined characters in bas-relief share consistency in terms of proportions and forms. Like the Bey Hamam inscription, the shafts of several ascending characters tend to be rigid and vertical, however the perfect equilibrium of each composition into eight sections shows a high level of calligraphic mastery and skill.
Fig. 9. View of Gazi Evrenos Bey imaret, Komotini
On the way from Thessaloniki to Istanbul, I stopped in Komotini (tr. Gümülcine), located further east, in Greek Thrace. This site is home to one of the oldest Ottoman structures still standing in the Balkans, the imaret of Gazi Evrenos Bey (Fig. 9), which was built between 1362-63 (the Ottoman conquest of Komotini) and 1383 (the conquest of Serres, an Ottoman authority pole further west)[5]. The structure now houses the Ecclesiastical Museum of Komotini. According to H. Lowry, two inscriptions are attached to the imaret. The first one, in situ, is placed above one of the entrances leading to the imaret’s interior spaces. The other one is kept in the Komotini Archaeological Museum. Unfortunately, due to restoration work in the imaret as well to the restructuration of the Archaeological Museum’s lapidary collection, both inscriptions were not accessible. A final stop was made in Edirne, located in Turkish Thrace. The city was the seat of the Ottoman power from the 1360s until 1453, and afterwards a seasonal residence for the Ottoman elite. For these reasons, Edirne has preserved a significant number of monumental structures, which still display their dedicatory inscriptions. Consequently, this corpus received more detailed attention in scholarship. To illustrate the diversity of the actors involved in commissioning epigraphic productions, the following three inscriptions have been selected.
Fig. 10. View of Gazi Mihal imaret/mosque, Edirne
Fig. 11. Dedicatory inscription, Gazi Mihal imaret/mosque, Edirne
The first inscription is placed on the gateway to the main room of a building today known as the imaret or mosque of Gazi Mihal (Fig. 10). Its founder was the beylerbey Mihal, son of Aziz, as stated in the Arabic text of the inscription dated 825 AH (1421-1422)[6] (Fig. 11). This inscription is placed on a rectangular marble plaque divided into three bands. Unlike the inscriptions presented so far, the bas-relief interlaced characters do not share a regular system of proportion. This irregularity of shapes can be seen in the variations for a single character (waw, initial ʿain/ghayn, nūn). Furthermore, certain shapes are shared by characters which are usually clearly distinct (nūn and rāʾ/zāʾ). It is therefore conceivable that the inscription was executed by an amateur hand that did not master thuluthscript, possibly by a self-taught local calligrapher.
Fig. 12. Dedicatory inscription of Murad II, Üç Şerefeli mosque, Edirne
Our second case study concentrates on the epigraphic programme of the mosque known as “Üç Şerefeli” (i.e. with minarets featuring three balconies), a milestone in the history of Ottoman architecture. The Üç Şerefeli mosque was founded by Murad II, as indicated by the Arabic text of the inscription dated 849 AH (1445-1446)[7] (Fig. 12). This dedicatory inscription is located on the entrance portal to the prayer room, placed on a long rectangular plaque of painted marble. The inscription is not divided into bands or cartouches but is arranged in a complex, three level thuluthcomposition with one line written in kufic along the upper part. The gilded writing is set against a background of rumi motifs arranged in spirals. The bas-relief interwoven cursive characters share coherent proportions and regular shapes. However, the main feature of this inscription is the elongation of the shafts of alif, lam and ṭā’/ẓā’ which creates a notable ascending effect. Combining two scripts, thuluth and kufic, this inscription is reminiscent of Timurid inscriptions, echoed in the Ottoman epigraphic productions of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Fig. 13. Dedicatory inscription, Sittşah Mürkrime Hatun mosque, Edirne
The third and final inscription comes from the time when Edirne was no longer the Ottoman capital. This is the dedicatory inscription placed on the gateway to the prayer hall of the mosque of Sitti Şah, whose name is mentioned in the Arabic text dated 889 AH (1484-1485)[8] (Fig 13). The founder is Sittşah Mürkrime Hatun, wife of Mehmed II. The inscription is carved on a small rectangular plaque that is divided into three bands. The closely tightened bas-relief characters do not share similar proportions, and the composition is characterized by general irregularity. As noted by F. T. Dijkema and A. Tüfekçioğlu[9], the inscription contains elements of mirror writing (ar. muthanna), as is the case for the word “sulṭān”, as well as the isolated waw and other letters. In conclusion, despite the formal variety, the fact that all these inscriptions can be characterised as thuluth leads us to question the morphological features of this canonical script. Regular linear thuluth, as developed in manuscripts, is characterised by ascending letterforms slightly inclined to the left, descending letterforms going well below the baseline, and groups of characters sitting slightly oblique on the baseline, underpinning the following characters. In addition to this, certain letterforms are particular to the thuluth style such as the three different forms for rāʾ and zāʾ, the two forms of mīm or wāw, as well as certain elongations and the large looped tails of jīm and ‘ain[10]. This formal variety has thus made thuluth known as a “display” script, making it particularly flexible for its use in larger compositions. In the epigraphic context, the thuluth script is therefore particularly useful, characterised by its flexibility and ability to adapt to the context, while maintaining formal coherence, as any canonical style. When examining epigraphy, the stylistic differences across inscriptions are therefore often revealed by the composition of the inscription, and its inner regularity. Rather than focusing solely on specific letter forms, attending to the use of space and compositions can reveal certain peculiarities. As we have seen from this limited corpus, there are distinct degrees of entanglement between letters from one inscription to the other, a gradation in structuring compositions around the vertical shafts of the ascenders, variations in the use of the non-inscribed space, as well as a differences in preserving the letter proportions, with more or less success. How then do we explain such calligraphic variation in epigraphic production? Causes may lie in the context in which the inscriptions were produced. As such, the verticality of certain inscriptions may be related to stylistic influences on Ottoman material production particular to the 15thcentury, such as Mamluk or Timurid influences, which raises questions about the circulation of patterns. The respect, or lack thereof, for the exact canonical proportions could be linked to proficiency in calligraphy, which may lead us to identifying the possible producers (as calligrapher, scribe, scholar, etc.). By enlarging the corpus of study and linking descriptions of inscriptions with other material (architecture, status of patrons, resources of pious foundations, etc.), we hope this work will be a first step in contextualising the epigraphic productions of the early Ottoman Balkans.
[1] Considered to be the founding father of the Ottoman calligraphy school. [2] Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities, eds., Ottoman Architecture in Greece (Athènes, 2008), 216–18. ; TEI entry No. 33218. [3] Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities, Ottoman Architecture in Greece, 232–34. ; TEI entry No. 32972. [4] Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities, Ottoman Architecture in Greece, 229–31. ; TEI entry No. 40507. [5] Heath W. Lowry, The Shaping of the Ottoman Balkans, 1350-1550: The Conquest, Settlement & Infrastructural Development of Northern Greece(Istanbul, Turquie, 2008), 41–46, 80. [6] Fokke Theodoor Dijkema, The Ottoman historical monumental inscriptions in Edirne (Leiden, Pays-Bas, 1977), 17–18. ; TEI entry No. 9515. [7] Dijkema, The Ottoman historical monumental inscriptions in Edirne, 26–27. ; TEI entry No. 849. [8] Dijkema, The Ottoman historical monumental inscriptions in Edirne, 42–44. ; TEI entry No. 29380. [9] Abdülhamit Tüfekçioğlu, ‘Symmetrical Compositions in Pre-Ottoman and Ottoman Architectural Inscriptions in Asia Minor’, in Calligraphy and architecture in the Muslim world, by Mohammad Gharipour and Irvin Cemil Schick (Edimbourg, 2013). [10] Such variations are not the results of the calligrapher’s own interventions: on the contrary, they are precisely codified and standardised, forming a limited repertoire.
Thérouin, V. (2024, February 1). Canonical calligraphy on the Ottoman frontier: Preliminary considerations on thuluth inscriptions from the Balkans. CallFront. https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/canonical-calligraphy-on-the-ottoman-frontier. Call
Thérouin, Vincent. “Canonical Calligraphy on the Ottoman Frontier: Preliminary Considerations on Thuluth Inscriptions from the Balkans.” CallFront, February 1, 2024. https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/canonical-calligraphy-on-the-ottoman-frontier.
Thérouin, Vincent. “Canonical Calligraphy on the Ottoman Frontier: Preliminary Considerations on Thuluth Inscriptions from the Balkans.” CallFront, 1 Feb. 2024, https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/canonical-calligraphy-on-the-ottoman-frontier.
PhD candidate in Islamicate Archaeology ED 124, Sorbonne Université Institutional Page Contact: vincent.therouin@etu.sorbonne-universite.fr
Vincent Thérouin is PhD candidate in Islamicate archaeology at Sorbonne University. He is currently preparing a thesis on the urban development in Ottoman Bosnia under the supervision of Eloïse Brac de la Perrière. His work consists of a material approach to Ottoman urban history, renewing the reflections about the singular phenomenon of city foundation in the Ottoman context. Investigating an Ottoman border area on the long term led Vincent Thérouin to study several languages and scripts, including Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Ottoman Turkish and Arabic. He also regularly carries field missions throughout the Balkan region. Within the project, Vincent Thérouin contributes to the investigation of the Anatolia and Balkans region, more specifically concerning epigraphy. He has also contributed to the setting of the ontology as well as to the preliminary Omeka database.
PhD candidate in Islamic Art ED124, OPUS/Sorbonne University Institutional Page Contact: nuriagmasip@gmail.com
Nuria Garcia Masip is a professional calligrapher and doctoral candidate in Art History, with a fellowship from Observatoire des Patrimoines at Sorbonne University (OPUS). She pursued her calligraphic studies in the Ottoman school of calligraphy and holds a higher diploma (ijazah) in the thuluth and naskh scripts. Her Master’s thesis explored the origins of calligraphic panels (levha) in the Ottoman world. She is currently focusing her doctoral research on levha in Sufi lodges from the 17th to the 19th centuries, analyzing the role of text as image, and contextualizing the various genres of figurative and non-figurative calligraphic panels. Drawing on her experience as a practicing professional calligrapher, she’s coordinating the axis on Praxis at the Callfront project, concentrating on recreative practices for Arabic script calligraphies.
Postdoctoral Fellow Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art Contact / adeline.laclau@inha.fr
Adeline Laclau completed her PhD in Islamic Art at Aix-Marseille University in 2019. Her research focuses on Mamluk artistic productions, with a particular interest in the material and social history of illuminated manuscripts. As a Bahari Visiting Fellow at the Bodleian Library, she identified and analyzed the illuminated manuscripts produced in 14th and 15th century Egypt and Syria kept in this institution (2021). She also held a postdoctoral position at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (2022-2023), where she organized an international workshop focused on artistic exchanges between Syro-Egyptian, Turkish and Persian territories in the 15th century.
PhD candidate Sorbonne Université Institutional Page Contact: cozzolinojohanna@gmail.com
Johanna Cozzolino is a PhD candidate in Islamic Art at Sorbonne University. Her study aims to characterize and establish a typology of the Qur’ans produced in China during the Mongol period and the Ming dynasty by highlighting a set of largely unpublished manuscripts. The study of these Qur’ans will highlight the stages of a standardization process that seem to have affected all of this Chinese production, both in its paleographic and iconographic developments. In the CallFront project, Johanna Cozzolino works on a corpus of Chinese Qur’ans with Annie Vernay-Nouri. She also assists in the coordination of researchers working on China in the project.
PhD candidate Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) Institutional Page Contact / matthias.egger@inha.fr
Matthias Egger is a PhD candidate at École Pratique des Hautes Études. He is currently preparing a thesis entitled Coptic illumination (8th-19th centuries): economy, semantics and identity under the supervision of Prof. Ioanna Rapti. Based on a largely unexploited corpus, approached using a multidisciplinary method, his research explores the various aspects that unite the art of the illuminated Coptic book between the medieval and modern periods, and questions the applicability of this historical division to this cultural area. A former student of the École du Louvre, he also wrote a dissertation on Paris’ manuscript “copte 13” (ms. BnF copte 13). Alongside his research, Matthias Egger has contributed to finalise the cataloguing of Coptic manuscripts in the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale in Cairo and to the archiving of Nicole and Jean-Michel Thierry’s collection at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art.
PhD candidate Sorbonne Université/EHESS Institutional Page Contact: ca.grandpierre@gmail.com
Camille Grandpierre is a PhD student in Islamic Art at Sorbonne University and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS). Her research, under the supervision of Eloïse Brac de la Perrière (Sorbonne University) and Alexandre Papas (CNRS/EHESS), and titled “The Jalâyirid and Timurid Divans (14th-15th centuries): Textual and Pictorial Dialogues,” explores a little-known aspect of manuscript production in Iran and Central Asia during the late medieval period. She also holds two master’s degrees in Islamic Art from Sorbonne University (2019) and in Persian language from Inalco (2024). She has taken part in the research program about the painted manuscripts of Kalīla wa Dimna at the Bibliothèque nationale de France led by Eloïse Brac de la Perrière (2016-2018).
PhD candidate in Islamic Artand Provenance Research ED124, Sorbonne University Institutional Page Contact: sarah.lakhal@etu.sorbonne-universite.fr
Sarah Lakhal-Kermani is a PhD student in Islamic Art and Provenance Research at Sorbonne University. She is preparing a thesis on the constitution of collections of objects from the Algeria in French museums during the colonial period under the supervision of Eloïse Brac de la Perrière and Felicity Bodenstein. She also attended the Master’s program in Cultural Mediation and Digital Heritage at the University of Paris-Nanterre where she specialized in Digital Humanities. She has taken part in various research programmes on Digital Humanities including the Mashreq-Maghreb project (Sorbonne-Université/CNRS, 2019) and the mapping of African collections in French museums (INHA, 2021). Within the CallFront team, Sarah is manager of the digital corpus developed on Omeka S. She is also the administrator of the project website and its social media.
PhD candidate Université d’Orléans Institutional Page Contact: clemence.piquet@inha.fr
Since 2022, Clémence Piquet-Delabrousse has been preparing a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Anna Caiozzo and co-supervised by Giuseppe Labisi on Sicily under Islamic domination. Entitled “Sicilian splendors: luxury movable artefacts in Sicilian courts from the 8th to the 13th centuries”, with a fellowship from the National Institute of History of Art. She is also participating in an excavation program under the direction of Giuseppe Labisi on Mount Altesina in Sicily after the recent discovery at the site of an Arabic epigraphy. As part of the CallFront project, Clémence is assisting in the coordination of the project under the supervision of Eloise Brac de la Perrière.
Coordinator of Axe 2 : documentation Scientific documentalist Department of Islamic Art, Louvre Museum Contact: monique.buresi@louvre.fr
Monique is a scientific documentalist in the Department of Islamic Art at the Louvre Museum. She recently participated in the exhibition « Splendeurs des oasis d’Ouzbékistan. Sur les routes caravanières d’Asie centrale » and in the edition of the catalog of this exhibition (2021). With Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, she became interested in Bihari writing, and with her, co-edited Le coran de Gwalior. Polysémie d’un manuscrit à peintures (Association de Boccard, 2016). Since then she continues to document and research this Indian script. For the CallFront project, she is in charge of the Documentation section.
Film producer Website Contact: antoine.brendlen@gmail.com
Antoine Brendlen is a film producer. After graduating in 2009 with a Master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from Lyon 2 University, he gained practical experience in the field, collaborating with various video collectives. Over the past 10 years, he has worked with a wide range of public and private organizations on artistic, institutional, and educational audiovisual projects. Since 2022, he has been teaching audiovisual studies at Lyon 1 University. As part of the CallFront project, he accompanies researchers directly in the field, traveling to Morocco, Senegal, and China. He films and edits audiovisual content to document the project’s praxis axe, playing a key role in preserving the last remaining calligraphic traditions at the frontiers of the Islamic world.
Pensionnaire (resident researcher) Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art Institutional Page Contact: sipana.tchakerian@inha.fr
Sipana Tchakerian is a PhD in archaeology and a pensionnaire (resident researcher) at the National Institute of Art History (INHA) in the section ‘Art history from the fourth to the fifteenth century’. She specializes in Armenian and Georgian medieval architecture and monumental art, with a particular interest for the cult of the cross and pilgrimage. Her doctoral thesis, completed at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Aix-Marseille University, is dedicated to a type of monumental sculpted cross specific to medieval Armenia and Georgia, the cross-bearing four-sided stelae. After her defense in September 2022, she started working at the INHA where she is currently leading a research project about the archives of Nicole and Jean-Michel Thierry, in collaboration with the Library and Resources Department. Within the Callfront project, Sipana Tchakerian coordinates the organization of scientific events at the INHA.
Mauro Nobili Mauro Nobili, historien de l’Afrique de l’Ouest précoloniale et du début de la période coloniale, présente ses recherches sur le passé africain à travers les manuscrits. Il répond également à des questions sur ses travaux et partage sa réflexion sur ce que la calligraphie signifie pour lui, ainsi que sur sa place au sein d’autres traditions africaines. Enfin, il évoque sa collaboration avec le projet CallFront. Mauro Nobili, a historian of precolonial and early colonial West Africa, discusses his research on the African past through manuscripts. He also answers questions about his studies and shares his perspective on what calligraphy means to him and its place within other African traditions. Finally, he speaks about his collaboration with the CallFront project. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
PhD candidate Aix-Marseille Université/Università di Pisa Contact: virginia.grossi@inha.fr
Virginia Grossi is a PhD candidate in Archaeology and a Junior Research Fellow at the National Institute of Art History (INHA) since October 2020. Her doctoral thesis, entitled Mamluk porticoes: materiality, functions and role within the city. The case of Jerusalem (1261-1516), is co-supervised by Julien Loiseau (Aix-Marseille University) and Federico Cantini (University of Pisa). Within the CallFront program, Virginia is in charge of outlining the project of the CallFront exhibition to come.
Mohameden Ahmed Salem is a master calligrapher and researcher in the field of calligraphy and manuscripts in Mauritania. He learned Mauritanian calligraphy from a group of calligrapher sheikhs in the Mauritanian traditional school of Mahdara and relied on himself to learn other Arabic calligraphy styles. Mohameden Ahmed Salem also holds degrees in Islamic studies, English literature, civilization, and media, as well as a doctoral thesis in history and civilization entitled « Arabic Calligraphy in the Sahara and the Sahel (its historical development and civilizational impact until the end of the 19th century). His interest and experience in maghribi calligraphy and the West Africa region has led him to publish articles and books on these topics and participate in international symposiums and workshops. He has written various copies of the holy Qur’an, including the official Mauritanian Qur’an, the first printed Mauritanian Qur’an, published in Nouakchott in 2012. In 2021 he won a competition organized by the Mauritanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Original Education to write a new official Qur’an for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. This copy will be published before the end of 2024.
Born in 1970, Mouhamadou Moustapha Seck is a Senegalese visual artist based in Dakar who explores calligraphy through diverse materials, specializing in writing calligraphy on mirrors, a technique he refers to as lithophany. Moustapha Seck has presented his works at the Musée Théodore Monod and at the Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art. His artistic practice is accompanied by a reflection on calligraphy as a factor of unity and identity within Islamic culture. His works feature Quranic verses, invocations of the names of Allah—emphasizing His oneness and incomprehensibility—and esoteric knowledge.
Hamidi Belaid is a Moroccan master calligrapher established in Jakarta. Specialist of the maghribi script from a young age, he later obtained ijazas in the naskh and thuluth styles from master Hasan Çelebi in Istanbul in 1997, and diwani jali and nasta’liq from Professor Ali Alparslan in 2000 and 2005. Between 1992 and 2008, Hamidi Belaid was professor of calligraphy at the Royal College in the Royal Palace at Rabat. From 2008, he was in Cairo, where he trained students in Arabic calligraphy and Islamic arts at al-Azhar University until 2016, when he moved to Singapore to found the Bustan al-Khatt Center. Since 2018 Hamidi Belaid is based in Jakarta, where he continues to teach Arabic calligraphy. Since 1999 Hamidi Belaid has copied eight Qur’ans in the maghribi script and continues to produce numerous calligraphic works. In June 2024, he welcomed the CallFront team to Fez, his hometown, to share his expertise on the maghribi script, and his knowledge of the calligraphic inscriptions adorning the various monuments in the city.
Website Contact: noordeen@163.com
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang Jiang is a renowned Chinese master of Arabic calligraphy based in Zhengzhou, China. In 1997, he earned the prestigious Certificate of Arabic Calligrapher in Egypt. Dedicated to education, he pioneered and taught the first regular and systematic Arabic calligraphy course at Zhengzhou Islamic College, laying the foundation for the structured instruction of this art form in China. He also received his ijaza from master calligraphers Hasan Çelebi, Davut Bektaş, Ferhat Kurlu, and Ahmed Koçak in Istanbul, becoming the first Chinese calligrapher to receive this certificate from the Ottoman school of calligraphy. In 2021, building on historical Chinese muṣḥafs written in local Chinese calligraphy styles, he completed a Quran written in the sinī muṣḥafi style, presented in 30 volumes. Internationally recognized, Haji Noor Deen is frequently invited to conduct workshops and deliver lectures at institutions worldwide. Several of his works are part of the permanent collections of prestigious museums, including The British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the National Museum of Scotland, and the Harvard University Art Museum.
Website Contact: message_foi@yahoo.fr
Fallou Fall is a graphic artist and calligrapher born and raised on the outskirts of Dakar, in the locales of Pikine and Guédiawaye. He was trained in the technique of West African calligraphy and in the mystical significance of the Arabic alphabet by his father, renowned international artist Yelimane Fall. Fallou Fall is part of the Mouridiyya and is learned in both the Holy Quran, and the teachings and khassaides (poetry) of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. He continues to develop the West African calligraphic style, creating large and medium sized multi-media artworks centered on Islam, the poetry of Ahmadou Bamba, and themes of social importance. Fallou is the Artistic Director of the West African Calligraphy Institute, which is centered on arts education and social activism through the cultural preservation of Arabic calligraphic forms indigenous to West Africa.
Post-doctoral research fellow Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences Institutional Page Contact / viola.allegranzi@oeaw.ac.at
Viola Allegranzi is postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Iranian Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2020-). In 2017, she received a joint Ph.D. from the Universities Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 and “L’Orientale” di Napoli, with a dissertation devoted to the Persian inscriptions from Ghazni (Afghanistan) and the cultural history of the Ghaznavid period (11th-12th century). Her research focuses on monumental epigraphy, inscribed objects, and architectural decoration from the Persianate zone (8th to 14th century). She has a special interest in the intersection between archaeological and textual sources, in particular medieval historiography, and Persian literature. She is the author of the monograph Aux sources de la poésie ghaznavide. Les inscriptions persanes de Ghazni (Paris, 2019) and co-editor of the volume Texts and Contexts. Ongoing Research on the Eastern Iranian World (Roma, 2020). Viola Allegranzi is part of the research team “Indian subcontinent” of the project Calligraphies at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World – CallFront. Her investigations into Ghaznavid and Ghurid monumental inscriptions on marble and stucco contribute to the study of the early development of curvilinear script in the Eastern Islamic regions.
Associate professor University of Strasbourg Institutional Page Contact: benazzouna@unistra.fr
Nourane Ben Azzouna is an associate professor in Islamic Art History and deputy dean of the Faculty of Historical Sciences at the University of Strasbourg, France. Previously, she was an assistant professor at the University of Vienna, Austria (2013-2016), and an assistant curator for the Islamic arts at the Agence France Museums – Louvre Abu Dhabi (2009–2013). She holds a PhD from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France (2009). Her research interests include the codicology and palaeography of Arabic and Persian manuscripts, images and painting in medieval Islam, and transculturality. In the framework of CallFront, her contribution will focus on calligraphy in Arabic script in China. Recent publications include Aux origines du classicisme : calligraphes et bibliophiles au temps des dynasties mongoles (Les Ilkhanides et les Djalayirides, 656-814 H./1258-1411) (Brill, 2018), L’Orient inattendu, du Rhin à l’Indus [Exhibition catalogue: Strasbourg, Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire, 18 Sept. 2021 – 16 Jan. 2022], edited with Claude Lorentz and with the collaboration of Léandra Panozzo (Bnu éditions, 2021), and Beiträge zur Islamischen Kunst und Archäologie 8, edited with Markus Ritter and with the collaboration of Sabiha Göloğlu (Reichert Verlag, 2022).
Samir Shamma Associate Professor in Islamic Numismatics, Epigraphy and Material Culture Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford Institutional Page Contact / umberto.bongianino@ames.ox.ac.uk
Umberto Bongianino is Samir Shamma Associate Professor in Islamic Numismatics, Epigraphy and Material Culture at the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford. He is also a Postdoctoral Researcher for the ERC-funded project Documenting Multiculturalism: Co-existence, law and multiculturalism in the administrative and legal documents of Norman and Hohenstaufen Sicily (University of Oxford and Università degli Studi di Palermo). His research and publications focus on Arabic epigraphy, palaeography, the aesthetic of inscribed objects, and the arts of the book in the western Islamic world. His recent monograph is titled The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribī Round Scripts and the Andalusī Identity(Edinburgh University Press, 2022). As a member of CallFront, Umberto is contributing to the study and reappraisal of the rich yet neglected calligraphic traditions of Northwest Africa (the Maghrib), as evidenced in luxury manuscripts, chancery documents, and inscriptions on a wide variety of media, from metalwork to textiles.
Associate Professor Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale Contact: abrigaglia@unior.it
Associate Professor at the University of Naples "L'Orientale".
Recipient, Robert H. Ellsworth Doctoral Fellowship Fund in Asian Art The Institute of Fine Art, New York Universty Contact: msc9906@nyu.edu
Mohammed Salih Cholakkalakath is a PhD student at the Institute of Fine Art, New York University. He previously pursued his studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Darul Huda Islamic University. His research interests lie at the intersection of Islamic and South Asian art, with a particular focus on manuscripts from the Malabar coast during the early modern period. His Ph.D. dissertation aims to explore the circulation, ontology, and temporality of talismanic materials originating from South India and the broader Indian Ocean world. As part of the CallFront project, he contributes to the social and artistic aspects of calligraphic practices of the Malabari/Ponnani script in South India.
Full Professor of History of the Book and Arabic Codicology École Pratique des Hautes Études Institutional Page Contact: nuria.decastilla@ephe.psl.eu
Nuria de Castilla (Full Professor at the EPHE, Paris) works on cultural history and material culture of Muslim communities in Spain and Maghreb in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, and the two-way influences with the Iberian Christian written practices. Her current research topics are the history of the libraries in sixteenth-century Spain and North Africa, the production and transmission of the Qur’an in the Western Islamic World, and the written culture in Muslim Spain in Medieval and Modern times (Arabic, Spanish, and Aljamía). Recent publications include «The copyists and their texts. The Morisco translations of the Qur’an in the Tomás Navarro Tomás Library (CSIC, Madrid)», Al-Qantara 35.2 (2014), «Les emplois linguistiques et culturels derrière les textes aljamiados»,Intellectual History of Islamicate World 8 (2020), and « Les manuscrits du Coran andalusīs, mudéjars et morisques de la Biblioteca Nacional de España », Journal Asiatique 309.1 (2021). In the frame of the CallFront Project, she will invest and develop her experience with the manuscripts of the Islamic West. In the first stage, she will analyze the Arabic scripts of some anonymous Muslim copyists who were working in the same Iberian workshops in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Professor Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University Institutional Page Contact: feener@cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp
R. Michael Feener is Professor of Cross-regional Studies at the Kyoto University Center for Southeast Asian Studies, an Associate Member of the History Faculty at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Maritime Asia Heritage Survey. The MAHS works to digitally document historical and archaeological sites across maritime Southern Asia, with full-time field teams active in the Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam to create a robust, durable, and open-access digital archive for the benefit of scholars around the world, as well as for local communities, conservationists, and heritage management practitioners. The main focus of Professor Feener’s research is in Islamic Studies, with a particular emphasis on the cultural and intellectual history of Muslim societies of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean World. Within that geographic area, his first two monographs dealt with the history of legal thought and practice in Indonesia, and he has also worked in a number of other areas, publishing on topics including Qur’anic studies, Arabic biographical texts, Sufism, and Shi’ism. He brings to this project a specialization on Maritime Muslim societies in the Maldives and Southeast Asia, as well as the contribution of source material from those areas collected by the MAHS.
Director Silsila: Center for Material Histories Institutional Page William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the Humanities New York University Institutional Page Contact: barry.flood@nyu.edu
Finbarr Barry Flood is founder-director of Silsila: Center for Material Histories & William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the Humanities, Institute of Fine Arts and Department of Art History, New York University. His current research focuses on the reception of concepts, materials and practices originating in the central Islamic lands in regions that lay beyond, whether the Caucasus, the Horn of Africa, or the Indian Ocean. His publications highlight the potential of material culture to nuance histories of premodern transcultural or transregional connectivity in ways that challenge their instrumental use in essentialist politics of the present. They include Objects of Translation: Material Culture and Medieval “Hindu-Muslim” Encounter (Princeton University Press, 2009), Technologies de dévotion dans les arts de l’islam: pèlerins, reliques, copies (Musée du Louvre/Hazan, 2019) and Tales Things Tell: Material Histories of Early Globalisms, coauthored with Beate Fricke, University of Bern (Princeton University Press, forthcoming, 2023). His contribution to the CallFront project concerns methodological and theoretical questions arising from the analysis of scripts and writing styles developed on the ‘margins’ of established canons, with a particular focus on the relationship between materiality and meaning.
Parole aux calligraphes - Cheikh Hamou [long version]
Cheikh Hamou Chercheur et maître calligraphe au Mali, Cheikh Hamou revient sur son parcours et explique ce que signifie être un véritable copiste, en évoquant les qualités, les critères et la discipline nécessaires à cette pratique. Il présente également les matériaux locaux utilisés dans l’exercice de la calligraphie et partage les gestes, les techniques et les savoir-faire qui caractérisent son travail. Scholar and master calligrapher in Mali, Cheikh Hamou reflects on his personal journey and explains what it means to be a true copyist, discussing the qualities, criteria, and discipline required for this practice. He also presents the local materials used in calligraphic work and shares the gestures, techniques, and knowledge that characterize his practice. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2025
Parole aux chercheurs - Andrea Brigaglia
Andrea Brigaglia Andrea Brigaglia, professeur associé à l’Université de Naples, mène des recherches sur l’histoire et l’anthropologie de l’islam en Afrique, notamment au Nigeria. Dans cet entretien, il revient sur sa méthode de travail croisée, explique comment il a commencé à s’intéresser aux écritures, et évoque les difficultés liées à l’étude de ces traditions. Il présente également sa contribution au projet CallFront, à travers une approche ethnographique des traditions calligraphiques islamiques dans l’Afrique contemporaine. Andrea Brigaglia, Associate Professor at the University of Naples, conducts research on the history and anthropology of Islam in Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria. In this interview, he reflects on his cross-disciplinary working method, explains how he began working on scripts, and discusses the difficulties involved in studying these traditions. He also presents his contribution to the CallFront project through an ethnographic approach to Islamic calligraphic traditions in contemporary Africa. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
Parole aux chercheurs - Umberto Bongianino
Umberto Bongianino Umberto Bongianino, professeur associé au Khalili Research Centre de l’Université d’Oxford, est spécialiste du monde islamique occidental. Dans cet entretien, il revient sur son parcours de chercheur et évoque sa contribution au projet CallFront, notamment en ouvrant une réflexion sur l’Occident islamique, le Maghreb et l’Afrique du Nord. Il aborde également la notion de calligraphie, la ville de Fès, son intérêt pour l’apprentissage de la calligraphie, ainsi que l’importance de travailler directement avec des calligraphes dans ses recherches. Umberto Bongianino, associate professor at the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford, specializes in the western Islamic world. In this interview, he reflects on his journey as a scholar and discusses his contribution to the CallFront project, particularly in opening a conversation on the Islamic West, the Maghreb, and North Africa. He also speaks about the notion of calligraphy, the city of Fez, his interest in learning calligraphy, and the importance of working directly with calligraphers in his research. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
Parole aux calligraphes - Cheikh Hamou [short version]
Cheikh Hamou Dans cette intervention, Cheikh Hamou, chercheur et maître calligraphe au Mali, explique les signes présents dans l’écriture, leur signification, ainsi que la valeur symbolique et mystique des lettres. In this talk, calligrapher Cheikh Hamou, a scholar and master calligrapher in Mali, explains the signs present in writing, their meaning, as well as the symbolic and mystical value of the letters. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2025
Maghribi Script - Discussion with Master Calligrapher Hamidi Belaid
Discussion with Master Calligrapher Hamidi Belaid Discussion avec le maître calligraphe Hamidi Belaïd Hamidi Belaïd, maître calligraphe marocain installé à Jakarta et spécialiste de l’écriture maghrébine, présente son parcours de calligraphe et explique les principales caractéristiques techniques de ce style maghrébin distinctif. Il explore les manuscrits conservés à la bibliothèque al-Qarawiyyin, en mettant en lumière des exemples de calligraphie locale et en expliquant les caractéristiques de chaque lettre. Hamidi Belaïd, a Moroccan master calligrapher based in Jakarta and a specialist in the Maghribi script, presents his journey as a calligrapher and explains the main technical features of this distinctive Maghrebi style. He explores the manuscripts preserved in the al-Qarawiyyin Library, highlighting examples of local calligraphy and explaining the characteristics of each letter. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
Workshop - L'art de la calligraphie arabe de la péninsule Ibérique à l'Afrique de l'Ouest
L'art de la calligraphie arabe de la péninsule Ibérique à l'Afrique de l'Ouest The Art of Arabic Calligraphy from the Iberian Peninsula to West Africa Ce workshop explore l’art de la calligraphie en caractères arabes dans la péninsule Ibérique, en Afrique du Nord et en Afrique de l’Ouest, du Moyen Âge à nos jours. Réunissant chercheurs internationaux et maîtres calligraphes, il met en lumière la diversité des styles régionaux développés en marge des canons de la calligraphie arabe classique. This workshop explores the art of Arabic-script calligraphy across the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and West Africa, from the medieval period to the present day. Bringing together international scholars and master calligraphers, the event highlights the diversity of regional styles that developed beyond the classical canons of Arabic calligraphy. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
Parole aux chercheurs - Lotfi Abdeljawad
Lotfi Abdeljawad Lotfi Abdeljawad, maître de recherches à l’Institut national du patrimoine de Tunis et épigraphiste spécialiste de la période islamique, revient sur son parcours et présente son travail, notamment les matériaux et les supports qu’il étudie. Il évoque également sa participation au projet CallFront et réfléchit aux notions de frontières et de centres à travers les relations entre épigraphie, inscriptions et manuscrits. Lotfi Abdeljawad, Senior Research Fellow at the National Heritage Institute in Tunis and an epigraphist specializing in the Islamic period, reflects on his career and presents his work, including the materials and supports he studies. He also discusses his participation in the CallFront project and reflects on the notions of frontiers and centres through the relationships between epigraphy, inscriptions, and manuscripts. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
Parole aux chercheurs - Susana Molins Lliteras
Susana Molins Lliteras Susana Molins-Lliteras est chercheuse associée au programme Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative de l’Université du Cap, en Afrique du Sud. Ses travaux portent sur l’histoire du livre et des manuscrits en Afrique de l’Ouest. Dans cet entretien, elle présente ses recherches sur les manuscrits de Tombouctou, sa collaboration avec des calligraphes locaux et sa participation au projet CallFront. Susana Molins-Lliteras is an Associate Researcher at the Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her work focuses on West African book and manuscript history. In this interview, she discusses her research on the manuscripts of Timbuktu, her collaboration with local calligraphers, and her participation in the CallFront project Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2024
Lead Curator for Southeast Asia British Library Institutional Page Contact: annabel.gallop@bl.uk
Annabel Teh Gallop is Lead Curator for Southeast Asia at the British Library. Her main research interests are in Malay manuscripts, letters, documents and seals, and the art of the Qur’an across the Indian Ocean world. Recent publications include Malay seals from the Islamic world of Southeast Asia (2019), a catalogue of over 2,000 seals from Southeast Asia inscribed in Arabic script, ‘Qur’an manuscripts from Southeast Asia in British collections’, in Malay-Indonesian Islamic studies: a Festschrift in honor of Peter G. Riddell, ed. M. Daneshgar and E. Nurtawab (2022) and ‘Fakes or fancies? Some ‘problematic’ Islamic manuscripts from Southeast Asia’ Manuscript cultures (2017). She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2019. For the CallFront project she will be working with Dr Ali Akbar on Islamic manuscript (or, more specifically, Arabic-script) cultures from Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Qur’an manuscripts from the present-day nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines, from the 16th-19th centuries, and also considering the influence of genre and language on calligraphic and palaeographical aspects.
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow University College London Institutional Page Contact: vivek-gupta@ucl.ac.uk
Vivek Gupta is British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at UCL where he researches connected book histories across South, Central, and West Asia (ca. 1100—present). From 2020 to 2023, he served as Postdoctoral Associate at University of Cambridge, where he continues to co-direct a research and exhibition project at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Hindustani Airs: Music, Pleasure, and Cultural Exchange in Courtly Lucknow with Senior Curator, Dr Suzanne Reynolds.Vivek’s first book, Worldshaping Wonders: Manuscripts and Experience in Hindustan, will be based on his 2020 PhD thesis. His second project, Manuscript as Monument: Inscribing Orality in Muslim South Asia (ca. 1300—1550), is the primary subject of his work at UCL. This study focuses on a calligraphic practice indigenous to India known as Bihari and its relationship to performance in devotional spaces. As a member of the research project, Calligraphies at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World: CallFront, Vivek contributes a study of Hindavi language texts in Arabic scripts. He has published his initial findings about this corpus in a book chapter, “Inscribing Orality: Calligraphy, Layout, and the Vernacular Anxieties of the Chandayan Manuscripts,” (Marg Publications, 2024).
Former researcher and professor Centre National de Recherche Scientifique-Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Institutional Page Contact: constant.hames@ehess.fr
Constant Hamès is a former researcher and professor at CNRS-EHESS. He was responsible for the CNRS research network “Magie et écriture islamique” (2000-2003) which led to the publication of the collective work Coran et talismans. Textes et pratiques magiques en milieu musulman. He also directed with Alexandre Popovic a seminar entitled “La magie chez les musulmans balkaniques et dans le monde musulman” at IISMM-EHESS from 2004 to 2012. His current book project, entitled Corans manuscrits d’Afrique. Sémiologie graphique et identités culturelles, is to be published in 2023. Constant Hamès is the author of many articles about manuscripts from Sub-Saharan Africa, including “Sura Headings and Subdivisions in Qur’an Manuscripts from Sub-Saharan Africa: Variations and Historical Implications” published in Journal of Qur’anic Studies (Volume XV, issue 3, 232-252) in 2013. Constant Hamès is willing to share his expertise about African manuscripts with the members of the CallFront project.
Associate Professor, York University York University Website Contact: zhirji@yorku.ca
Zulfikar Hirji is Associate Professor at York University. His research project explores Muslim materialities in coastal East Africa before the 20th century, with particular focus on a corpus of illuminated Qur’an manuscripts produced on Pate Island in the Lamu Archipelago between the 18th-19th centuries. The project aims to identify and describe the manuscripts in the corpus, and study its materiality, calligraphic and decorative content in order to understand the producers’ skills, knowledges, and practices. The project also seeks to situate the manuscripts in their historical and socio-cultural context by comparing their calligraphy and decorative programs to other types of material culture in the region, and by comparing the manuscripts’ materiality, calligraphy, and decorative programs with Islamic manuscripts from other regions in Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean littoral. His recent publications include “The Faza Qurʾan: Three Nineteenth-century Illuminated Manuscripts from Coastal East Africa,” Journal of Qur’anic Studies24:2 (2022) and “The Siyu Qur’ans: Illuminated Qur’an Manuscripts from Coastal East Africa,” in Approaches to the Qur’an in Sub-Saharan Africa, Zulfikar Hirji (ed.) (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Research Associate Khalili Research Centre Institutional Page Contact: cjackson@alumni.oxon.net
Cailah Jackson is Research Associate at the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford and former Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Her work focuses on late medieval manuscripts of the central and eastern Islamic lands. In 2017, she gained her DPhil in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford, following undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the London School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Cailah is the author of several articles as well as the monograph, Islamic Manuscripts of Late Medieval Rūm, 1270s–1370s: Production, Patronage and the Arts of the Book (Edinburgh, 2020), which was awarded the Dionisius A. Agius Book Prize by the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean. For the CallFront project, Cailah’s main focus is calligraphy from Anatolia produced in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Research Fellow Museum of Islamic Art of Berlin, Germany Visiting Scholar Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany Contact: shunhuaj2@gmail.com
Shunhua JIN is currently a research fellow at Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin and a visiting scholar at Goethe University Frankfurt. She received her PhD degree from Fudan University in Shanghai and was a postdoctoral researcher at Aix-Marseille University. One of her research interests is Islamic art in China. Her most recent publication is “The Transformation of Domes in Medieval Chinese Mosques: From Immigrant Muslims to Local Followers” in Open Archaeology (De Gruyter, 2023). Another upcoming article from her is “Depicting the Holy Cities: Study on a Nineteenth-century Chinese-Islamic Pilgrimage Scroll”.
Associate Professor, History of Architecture Faculty of Architecture and Design Marmara University, Istanbul Institutional Page Contact: nicole.kancalferrari@gmail.com
Nicole Kançal-Ferrari’s special interests include the material culture of the Northern Black Sea Region, with a specific focus on the Golden Horde and Crimean Khanates, the culture of death in the Ottoman environment, and Islamic visual and architectural culture and its agency. Currently, she is working on a larger project related to Turco-Islamic inscriptions in Crimea. She has co-published inventories of Muslim heritage based on extensive fieldwork in Crimea and Georgia. Her recent publications include : ●(co-authored with Fatma Meliha Şen) “Inscriptions from the Golden Horde Period and the Crimean Khanate in Crimea: a Body of Hitherto Neglected Material within the Study of the Inscriptions of Islamic Lands,” in Inscriptions of the Medieval Islamic World. Eds. Bernard O’Kane, A. C. S. Peacock, Mark Muehlhaeusler (Edinburgh University Press, 2023), 324-359; ●“The Ruler’s Clothes and the Manifold Dimensions of Textile Patterns on Muslim Funeral Architecture in the Mausoleum of the First Crimean Khans,” Textile in Architecture. Eds. Patricia Blessing, Didem Ekici, Basile Baudez (Routledge, 2023),172-193; ●“Transcultural Ornamentation and Heraldic Symbols: An Investigation into the Aesthetic Language of the Architecture and Artistic Environment in Early Modern Crimea and the Northern Black Sea Shore,” From Riverbed to Seashore: Art on the Move in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean in the Early Modern Period (1400-1700). Ed. Alina Payne (Brill, 2022), 152-176.
Researcher at the Institut des civilisations, Collège de France (On leave from the Orient-Institut Beirut) Institutional Page Contact: karame@orient-institut.org / alya.karame@college-de-france.fr
Alya Karame specialises in Islamic art and material culture. She is the recipient of the Paris Region award and is currently based at the Collège de France where she is writing her first monograph on a forgotten corpus of medieval Qur’ans. Prior to that, she was a fellow of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Arts at Harvard University and held a research associate position at the Orient-Institut in Beirut from which she is on leave. In 2019, she was the Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral fellow at the American University of Beirut where she had also taught and in 2018 she received the Barakat Trust Postdoctoral fellowship at the Khalili Research Centre of the University of Oxford. She joined the Kunsthistorisches Institut research program in Florence Connecting Art Histories in the Museum supported by the Max-Planck Institut and was based at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin between 2017 and 2019. Her research has been supported by numerous grants including the Arab Funds for Arts and Culture and the Historians of Islamic Art Association. She obtained her PhD in 2018 in Islamic Art History from the University of Edinburgh and her MA in History of Art & Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies. As a member of CallFront, Alya Karame will be focusing on scripts in medieval eastern Iran. She will particularly examine the relationship of Qur’anic scripts to other arts, such as architectural epigraphy which will inform about tactics adopted for crossing and referencing other media.
Professor of Material Histories De Montfort University, Leicester Institutional Page Contact: elambourn@dmu.ac.uk
Elizabeth Lambourn is a medieval historian of South Asia and the Indian Ocean world and committed to the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study of history. First trained in Art History, she now spends a lot of her time reading, and talking to, anthropologists, archaeologists, and textual scholars and her work engages equally with texts and ‘things,’ and with texts as material ‘things.’ She has published widely on varied aspects of the circulation of artefacts, animals, people, and ideas around the Indian Ocean. Her research monograph Abraham’s Luggage (CUP, 2018) offers a fresh and methodologically sophisticated perspective on Jewish merchant activity in the Indian Ocean focusing on domestic material culture and foodstuffs on land and at sea. More recently she edited A Cultural History of the Sea. Medieval Age (800-1450) for Bloomsbury Academic (2021). For the CallFront project, she is returning to material originally studied as part of her PhD, the richly inscribed corpus of marble carving produced for Muslim patrons at the port of Khambhat (Cambay) in western India and exported around the Indian Ocean rim. She is working with Nuria Garcia Masip exploring the potential of recreative practice methodologies to understand more about the production of this material.
Lecturer in Language, Literature and Civilization of Medieval Spain Université Lumière Lyon 2 Institutional Page Contact: julie.marquer@univ-lyon2.fr
Julie Marquer is Lecturer in Language, Literature and Civilization of Medieval Spain at the Université Lumière Lyon 2. Her research focuses on the use of Islamic artistic heritage by Christians in the Iberian Peninsula, and, more specifically, on Arabic epigraphy in Castile. For several years, she has been working to highlight the specific features of ornamental Arabic inscriptions in Christian kingdoms between the 11th and 15th centuries. She is carrying out a global study of these inscriptions on the scale of the peninsula to distinguish the formal and symbolic selections and reinterpretations that accompany the re-use of this heritage from Al-Andalus. This epigraphic corpus will be based on a digital edition. She has already published several articles on specific architectural inscriptions, highlighting their re-signification and originality in a context other than that of Islam. For the CallFront Project, she analyzes the specific features of Arabic epigraphy in the kingdom of Castile, its links with the traditions of al-Andalus, between continuity and innovation, and she looks at the meaning of these inscriptions and their place in visual communication.
Post-doctoral Researcher UMR 8041 – Centre de recherche sur le monde iranien (CeRMI) Institutional Page Contact: massullo.martina@gmail.com
Martina Massullo is specialist of Islamic Epigraphy. In 2017 she obteined a joint Ph.D. from Aix-Marseille University and the University of Naples “L’Orientale” with a disseration focused on Arabic funerary inscriptions from Ghazni (Afghanistan). From 2018 to 2020, she was Teaching and Research Fellow at the University of Lille and in 2021-2022 she was Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Centre de recherche sur le monde iranien (CeRMI, Paris – CollEx-Persée Residency Program). She is currently member of the Islamic Ghazni Archaeological project (“L’Orientale”, Gerda Henkel Stiftung). Her works are devoted to funerary epigraphy and architecture, monumental epigraphy, inscribed objetcs and material culture of the Islamic world with a particular focus on Eastern Iranian lands. She collaborates in the project Calligraphies at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World – CallFront with two corpora of marble funerary inscriptions in curvilinear script from Early Ghaznavid and late Timurid Ghazni respectively.
Contact: sanaymirza@gmail.com
Sana Mirza received her PhD in Islamic Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University in 2021. Her research explores a corpus of Qur’an manuscripts from the city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia produced between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries and their Red Sea and Indian Ocean milieus. She coedited with Simon Rettig The Word Illuminated: Qur’an Manuscripts from the 7th–17th Centuries (Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2023) and has contributed to several exhibition catalogues, including The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. Sana earned her BA in History and Art History with a minor in Islamic Studies from George Mason University and an MA in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU.
Associate Researcher Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative, University of Cape Town Institutional Page Contact: susana.molinslliteras@uct.ac.za
Susana Molins-Lliteras is an Associate Researcher based at the Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative at the University of Cape Town (South Africa). For over a decade, she has been a researcher and coordinator at the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project, and an integral part of the Project’s events and output, organising conferences, workshops and seminars on West African book and manuscript history. Her current book project, based on her doctoral dissertation, presents an archival biography the Fondo Kati, a private family manuscript collection in Timbuktu, elucidating how historical knowledge in and about Timbuktu is continuously produced, reproduced and refashioned. She has published on the archives of Timbuktu and on the social history of a West African Sufi movement in South Africa. For the CallFront Project, she draws on her experience working with marginalia on the manuscripts of Timbuktu as well as her interest and study of regional knowledge transmission practices, drawing from her collaboration with local scholars.
Associate Professor University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign Institutional Page Contact: nobili@illinois.edu
Mauro Nobili is a historian of pre-colonial and early colonial West Africa. His research examines the political and intellectual history of Muslim societies in the region from the late Middle Ages to the early colonial period, focusing specifically but not exclusively on modern-day Republic of Mali. He has worked in several archives of Arabic manuscripts in West Africa (Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire), in Europe (France and Denmark), and in the United States, as well as in colonial archives in Britain (Foreign Office – the National Archives) and Germany (Staatsbibliothek, Hamburg). His research has led to several publications that appeared in journals, including History in Africa and the Journal of African History, book chapters, two collections of essays that he has edited, and two monographs. As part of his research, Mauro has explored the history and paleography on West African script styles, focusing in particular on the Suqi and the Barnawi. Through the research on script styles, he is at providing scholars with tools to read West African manuscripts, as well as writing new histories of literacy in the region. Mauro Nobili is the author of Sultan, Caliph, and Renewer of the Faith: Aḥmad Lobbo, the Tārīkh al-fattāsh and the Making of an Islamic State in West Africa (2020), translated into French as Sultan, calife et rénovateur de la foi: Aḥmad Lobbo, le Tārīkh al-fattāsh et la création d’un état islamique en Afrique de l’Ouest (2021). Most relevant publications include “Arabic Scripts in West African Manuscripts: A Tentative Classification from the de Gironcourt Manuscript Collection” published in Islamic Africa (2/1, 105-133) in 2011, and “Central Sudanic Arabic Scripts (Part 2): Barnāwī” co-authored with Andrea Brigaglia and published in Islamic Africa (Vol. 4, No. 2, 197-223) in 2013.
PhD candidate History of Art & Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies Harvard University Institutional Page Contact: ozakay@g.harvard.edu
Damla is a PhD candidate in the dual degree program of History of Art and Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. Her main interests are early Ottoman architectural culture, city building practices and transregional connectivities among the Lands of Rum, Greater Iran and Mamluk Syria. Her dissertation focuses on the emergence of the city of Amasya in the fifteenth century as a major Ottoman urban, political, cultural and artistic center in north central Anatolia. She holds a BA from the History Department of Boğaziçi University in İstanbul. She received her MA in 2015 from the same department with a thesis on the representation of calligraphers and practice of calligraphy in the early modern Ottoman biographical dictionaries of calligraphers. Damla contributes to the project as a researcher exploring the examples of monumental calligraphy that appear on the foundational inscriptions of the newly-built Ottoman structures in Amasya and the broader region of North Central Anatolia. She is especially interested in understanding the transregional dynamics behind the frequent use of thuluth script in this frontier region where local artistic practices intermingled with technologies and skills that are brought from Greater Iran and Mamluk Syria via itinerant artistic and architectural workshops.
Assistant Professor Princeton University Institutional Page Contact: fatima.quraishi@princeton.edu
Fatima Quraishi is Assistant Professor at Princeton University. Her research examines the intersection of regional artistic styles with locally embedded practices and considers the role played by religion and religious communities in shaping artistic production. Her current book project Necropolis as Palimpsest: The Makli Cemetery in Sindh, 1380-1660 is a longue-duree analysis of a vast funerary site in the south of Pakistan. She completed her doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU and has held teaching positions at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and at the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, both in Karachi, Pakistan. She was also the lead curator of the exhibition, “Paradise on Earth: Manuscripts, Miniatures, and Mendicants from Kashmir,” at the Mohatta Palace Museum in Karachi in 2017. She is a member of the research project, Calligraphies at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World – Callfront, focusing on calligraphic practices in Sindh.
Nasser D. Khalili Professor of Islamic Art & Archaeology SOAS, University of London Institutional Page Contact: sr63@soas.ac.uk
Scott Redford studies the medieval material culture of Anatolia, the South Caucasus, Mesopotamia, and the eastern Mediterranean. His epigraphic work has evolved away from decipherment towards examining ways in which writing in the Arabic alphabet conveys meaning through intersections with built form, colour, and pattern, a focus that challenges traditional calligraphic pieties about the role of writing in the medieval Islamic world. Recent epigraphic publications include “Inscription and De-scription/Cipher and De-cipher: Pious Phrases in Medieval Islamic Anatolia and Byzantium,” in S. Houston and J. Bodel, eds., The Hidden Language of Graphic Signs: Cryptic Writing and Meaningful Marks (Cambridge, 2021) and “The Here and the Hereafter: Rounded and Angular Scripts in Medieval Syria, Anatolia, and the Jazira,” in B. O’Kane, M. Muehlhaeusler, and A. Peacock, eds., Inscriptions from the Islamic World(Edinburgh, 2023).
Associate Professor École française d'Extrême-Orient Institutional Page Contact: saarthak.singh@efeo.net
Saarthak Singh is Associate Professor at the École française d'Extrême-Orient. He received a Ph.D. in History of Art & Archaeology from New York University in 2023 with a dissertation titled “Places of Piety, Sites of Sovereignty: Temple and Mosque in Medieval Malwa, ca. 1050-1450,” which presents the first systematic analysis of the architectural landscape of Udaypur, an important medieval town in Madhya Pradesh. His research engages with Indic and Islamic epigraphy, fortification and urbanism, material cultures of pilgrimage, and constructions of difference in premodern times. He has published articles on a range of subjects, including monumental Hindu sculpture, purpose-built performance spaces, Sanskrit and old Hindi inscriptions, and Islamic talismanic shirts. His contribution to the CallFront project concerns the social and artistic aspects of epigraphic production in the Sultanate territories of northern India.
Chief Curator Department of Manuscript, Oriental Section, Bibliothèque nationale de France Contact: annie.vernaynouri@gmail.com
Annie Vernay-Nouri was curator in chief, in charge of the Arabic manuscripts from the Oriental section of the Department of Manuscripts at the Bibliothèque nationale de France between 1993 and 2018. She curated several exhibitions such as “Enluminures en terre d’Islam, entre abstraction et figuration” (2011). Among her most important publications are L’art du livre arabe, co-edited with Marie-Geneviève Guesdon (2001), and Les périples de Kalila wa Dimna, co-edited with Eloïse Brac de la Perrière and Aïda El Khiari (2022). For CallFront, Annie Vernay-Nouri is particularly interested in Arabic calligraphy in China, a topic she already started to study at the BnF. She is the author of the article “De quelques corans chinois et leur papier” published in Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph (Vol. 59, 253-267) in 2006.
Affiliated Researcher Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University Institutional Page Contact: multi4zahara@gmail.com
Tia is member of Maritime Asia Heritage Survey (MAHS) and an affiliated researcher of the Kyoto University Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS). Since 2018, she has worked on the MAHS Maldives and Indonesia Field Survey Teams to digitally document historic sites, inscriptions, and manuscript materials. She contributes to the CALLFRONT project as a researcher assistant for Prof. R. Michael Feener’s work on the distinctive forms of Arabic calligraphy that have developed in the Maldives since the conversion of those islands to Islam in the mid-12th century.
Project Coordinator – Symposium and Scientific Publications Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art Institutional Page Contact: elsa.guyot@inha.fr
Elsa Guyot holds a Ph.D. in Art History, jointly awarded by Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry and Université de Montréal (2015), specializing in medieval art and museology. Her research explores the reception of medieval objects in modern and contemporary societies, the uses of the past, and the modes of exhibiting art in museums, in relation to political and identity discourses. She completed a postdoctoral research project at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) from 2019 to 2021, focusing on the study of exhibition archives through the lens of digital humanities. She is the author of the book Rejouer l’histoire. Le Moyen Âge dans les musées du Québec, published by Leméac in 2021. Alongside her research activities, she has worked in various cultural sectors, including art centers, museums, publishing houses, and educational institutions. She is currently project coordinator for the CallFront program, where she oversees the symposium and associated scholarly publications.
Parole aux calligraphes - Haji Noor Deen
Haji Noor Deen Haji Noor Deen, maître chinois de la calligraphie arabe, dont le travail a joué un rôle central dans la définition et la théorisation de l’écriture ṣīnī, présente son art et explique son processus de création. À travers des démonstrations sur différents types de papier, il met en lumière les techniques, les outils et les gestes qui caractérisent sa pratique calligraphique. Haji Noor Deen, a Chinese master of Arabic calligraphy whose work has played a central role in defining and theorizing the ṣīnī script, presents his art and explains his creative process. Through demonstrations on different types of paper, he highlights the techniques, tools, and gestures that characterize his calligraphic practice. Réalisateur / Director : Antoine Brendlen Date : 2025
CallFront Seminar - Eloïse Brac de la Perrière - 5 December 2022
CallFront Seminar - Eloïse Brac de la Perrière Séminaire CallFront – Éloïse Brac de la Perrière Éloïse Brac de la Perrière, professeure d’art islamique à Sorbonne Université et conseillère scientifique au département des Études et de la Recherche de l’INHA, dirige le projet CallFront. Dans ce séminaire, elle revient sur l’origine de cette idée et sur l’importance du projet, consacré à la calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique. Elle développe également plusieurs exemples en s’appuyant sur une documentation détaillée. Éloïse Brac de la Perrière, Professor of Islamic Art at Sorbonne University and scientific advisor for the Department of Studies and Research at the INHA, leads the CallFront project. In this seminar, she discusses the origins of this idea and the importance of the project, which is dedicated to calligraphy at the frontiers of the Islamic world. She also develops several examples, drawing on detailed documentation. Réalisateur / Director : INHA Date : 2022
CallFront Seminar - 23 November 2022 - Elizabeth Lambourn & Nuria Garcia Masip
Nous avons le plaisir d’accueillir Elizabeth Lambourn à l’occasion de la première séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique, qui aura lieu le 23 novembre 2022, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : Exploring Recreative Practice Methodologies in Islamic Art – Writing on Stone at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World Elizabeth Lambourn (De Montfort University, Leicester), Nuria Garcia Masip (Sorbonne Université – Observatoire des Patrimoines) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher -------------------- We are pleased to welcome Elizabeth Lambourn for the first session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on November 23, 2022, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : Exploring Recreative Practice Methodologies in Islamic Art – Writing on Stone at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World Elizabeth Lambourn (De Montfort University, Leicester) & Nuria Garcia Masip (Sorbonne Université – Observatoire des Patrimoines) Organization : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Download the Flyer
CallFront Seminar - 5 December 2022 - Eloïse Brac de la Perrière
Qur'an in Bihari calligraphy, India, 15th century, Paris, Institut du Monde Arabe. © Institut du Monde Arabe
La deuxième séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 5 décembre 2022, de 18h à 20h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : Repenser la calligraphie en caractères arabes : enjeux et défis Eloïse Brac de la Perrière (INHA – Sorbonne Université – UMR 8167) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher ----------- We are pleased to welcome Eloïse Brac de la Perrière for the second session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on December 5, 2022, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : Repenser la calligraphie en caractères arabes : enjeux et défis Eloïse Brac de la Perrière (INHA – Sorbonne Université – UMR 8167) Organization : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Download the Flyer
Talk - 18 January 2023 - Journée Humanités numériques de Sorbonne Université
L’équipe CALLFRONT sera présente à la Journée Humanités numériques de Sorbonne Université qui aura lieu le 18 janvier 2023 à Sorbonne Université (Amphithéâtre Georges Molinié, 28 rue Serpente, 75006 Paris). Programme Programme Réservation en ligne L’inscription est obligatoire, à effectuer en utilisant le formulaire suivant :https://lime3-app2.sorbonne-universite.fr/index.php/458429?lang=fr Plus d’information
CallFront Seminar - 15 February 2023 - Nourane Ben Azzouna
Juz' II of a Qur'an dated of the 17th century, China, black ink, red ink, colored inks on paper, 28 x 19cm, BnF Arabe 7267, Paris, Folio 1 © Gallica
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 15 février 2023, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : La calligraphie arabe en Chine : voies et formes d’un transfert culturel Nourane Ben Azzouna (Université de Strasbourg) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : La présence musulmane en Chine date des premiers siècles de l’islam et est associée à une riche culture matérielle, allant de l’architecture à la calligraphie et plus particulièrement un style calligraphique traditionnellement appelé « Sini ». Cette communication propose de se pencher sur les questions qu’il soulève. S’agit-il d’un style défini ? Quelle en est l’origine ? Quels rapports entretient-il avec la calligraphie chinoise ? Y a-t-il différentes formes de « Sini » en fonction des régions et des périodes ? L’étude de ce style est un prisme particulièrement pertinent pour l’analyse des interactions culturelles entre les mondes islamique et chinois dans une perspective diachronique. -------------- We are pleased to welcome Nourane Ben Azzouna for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on February 15th, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : La calligraphie arabe en Chine : voies et formes d’un transfert culturel Nourane Ben Azzouna (Université de Strasbourg) Organization : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Download the Flyer
CallFront Seminar - 14 March 2023 - Finbarr Barry Flood
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 14 mars 2023, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : Par-delà la lecture : médias et médiations dans l’épigraphie islamique Finbarr Barry Flood (Silsila: Center for Material Histories, New York University) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : La lecture et l’interprétation des inscriptions ont été fondamentales pour écrire l’histoire de l’architecture islamique médiévale. Dans quelle mesure le “tournant matériel” dans les sciences humaines et l’intérêt pour les questions de médiation, ouvrent-ils de nouvelles perspectives pour comprendre les multiples registres par lesquels les inscriptions véhiculent du sens dans ce contexte précis ? Remettant en question la dichotomie moderne entre la forme matérielle et la signification immatérielle, cette conférence discutera de la nécessité d’une approche qui met en évidence la matérialité des inscriptions et leur capacité à engager le spectateur, au-delà du regard et de la lecture. ------------------- Séance accessible via Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D88-SjYWTZS3UHu_AtufRw We are pleased to welcome Finbarr Barry Flood for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on March 14th, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : Par-delà la lecture : médias et médiations dans l’épigraphie islamique Finbarr Barry Flood (Silsila: Center for Material Histories, New York University) Organization : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Session can be accessed via zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D88-SjYWTZS3UHu_AtufRw Download the Flyer
Lecture - 24 March 2023 - Nicole Kançal-Ferrari
En lien avec le projet CallFront, Nicole Kançal-Ferrari sera invitée au séminaire Autour de la mer Noire (Anatolie, Balkans, Crimée, Caucase) : archéologie et histoire de l’art d’une « frontière » du monde islamique qui aura lieu le vendredi 24 mars, 12h-14h, Institut national d’histoire de l’art (Paris), salle Vasari : Islamic Epigraphy in the Crimean Peninsula (XIVth-XVIIIth Centuries) Building Inscriptions and Calligraphic Material from the Golden Horde Period and the Crimean Khanate Nicole Kançal-Ferrari (Marmara University, Istanbul) Résumé : Crimea was an important center of the Golden Horde Khanate and later the core center of the Crimean Khanate. Among the most important remains testifying to this past are inscriptions on numerous buildings and gravestones. This lecture aims to present a short overview of the Turco-Islamic inscriptions in Crimea (14th–18th centuries) and, focusing on some specific examples, to discuss such further dimensions as information on patronage and the selection of passages from textual sources and their placement on edifices. Parallels and differences to inscriptions in other regions of the Islamic world are also part of the investigation. More information
Lecture - 4 April 2023 - Alain Fouad George
Omeyyad Mosque of Damascus ©Alain George
En lien avec le projet CallFront, Alain Fouad George sera invité pour une conférence le 04 avril 2023 de 17h à 18h30, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : Polychromie et polysémie dans les arts de l’Islam Alain Fouad George (université d’Oxford) Résumé : Des études éparses sur les arts de l’Islam ont révélé, dans différents contextes, une prédilection pour la polychromie, qui n’est pas sans rappeler celles de Rome et de la Grèce antiques, mieux connues. Mêlant souvent une déstabilisation des sens à une polysémie des ornements, cette sensibilité artistique met l’accent sur le sujet en mouvement. Son étude fait également ressortir en filigrane une tendance plus ou moins consciente, à l’époque moderne, à « blanchir » les arts de l’Islam. ------------ We are pleased to welcome Alain Fouad George for a lecture, which will take place on April 04th, 2023, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : Polychromie et polysémie dans les arts de l’Islam Alain Fouad George (université d’Oxford) Download the Flyer
CallFront Seminar - 10 May 2023 - Ali Akbar & Annabel Teh Gallop
Qur'an copied in Java, 19th century, Paris, BnF Arabe 583 © Gallica
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 10 mai 2023, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : The Art of the Qur’an in Southeast Asia, 1600-1900: Illumination and Calligraphy Ali Akbar (BRIN, Jakarta), Annabel Teh Gallop (British Library, Londres) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : Au cours de ces deux dernières décennies, environ un millier de manuscrits coraniques de l’Asie du Sud-Est ont été inventoriés. Ces manuscrits proviennent de toutes les parties de l’archipel malais, et ils ont été produits entre le XVIIe et le XXe siècle. La plupart sont conservés dans les collections publiques et privées en Indonésie, en Malaisie, à Singapour, au Brunei, en Thaïlande et aux Philippines, et quelques-uns seulement dans des institutions occidentales. Cette conférence présentera certaines écoles artistiques régionales d’enluminure coranique en Asie du Sud-Est et les spécificités calligraphiques qui leur sont associées, tout en abordant les relations entre manuscrit et imprimé. Séance accessible via Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D88-SjYWTZS3UHu_AtufRw --------------- We are pleased to welcome Ali Akbar and Annabel Teh Gallop for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on May 10th, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Vasari : The Art of the Qur’an in Southeast Asia, 1600-1900: Illumination and Calligraphy Ali Akbar (BRIN, Jakarta), Annabel Teh Gallop (British Library, Londres) Session can be accessed via zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D88-SjYWTZS3UHu_AtufRw Download the Flyer
CallFront Seminar - 6 June 2023 - Fatima Quraishi
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 6 juin 2023, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : Serial Reproduction – The Practice of Calligraphy in Sixteenth Century Sindh Fatima Quraishi (University of California) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : Les pratiques calligraphiques dans le Sind (Pakistan) sont à l’origine d’un très riche matériel, exécuté dans des styles variés sur différents supports. Cette conférence sera consacrée aux développements de ces calligraphies durant le XVIe siècle, une période de grand changements politiques, suite à la dissolution de l’empire de Tamerlan et à l’arrivée de pouvoirs turciques dans le Sind. De nouvelles pratiques s’articulent alors aux techniques et styles existants. En analysant collectivement ces objets, cette conférence mettra en lumière le caractère institutionnel de leur contexte de production. Séance accessible via Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__3GnzYrYRjWnrf52tyvY3Q ---------------------- We are pleased to welcome Fatima Quraishi for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on June 6th, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : Serial Reproduction – The Practice of Calligraphy in Sixteenth Century Sindh Fatima Quraishi (University of California) Session can be accessed via zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__3GnzYrYRjWnrf52tyvY3Q Download the Flyer
Atelier - 11 July 2023 - GIS MOMM Congress (Lyon) : Calligraphies en caractères arabes : corpus inédits et nouvelles approches méthodologiques
L’équipe CallFront tiendra un atelier “Calligraphies en caractères arabes : corpus inédits et nouvelles approches méthodologiques” lors du 5e congrès du GIS MOMM (Lyon), le 11 juillet 2023 de 14h30 à 16h30. Plus d’informations
Talk - 4 October 2023 - Élaboration d’outils pour l’histoire du livre, de l’écrit et de la lecture à l’ère du numérique : Omeka vs Heurist, xml-TEI et TXM
L’équipe CALLFRONT sera présente aux journées d’étude “Élaboration d’outils pour l’histoire du livre, de l’écrit et de la lecture à l’ère du numérique : Omeka vs Heurist, xml-TEI et TXM” qui auront lieu les 3 et 4 octobre 2023 à l’UPEC. Ces journées d’étude trouvent leur origine dans la publication de la base de données numérique DEF19 (Dictionnaire des éditeurs français du XIXe siècle), dont la réalisation a été financée successivement par l’ANR (2014-2019) et la MSH Paris-Saclay (2021-2022). Compte tenu du processus de production de cette base de données numérique et des relations nouées à cette occasion, nous avons souhaité créer un espace de discussion sur les outils à disposition des spécialistes et non-spécialistes des logiciels informatiques souhaitant mettre en place des plateformes numériques relatives à l’histoire du livre et de l’écrit en considérant les projets actuels. Les programmes et plateformes sont aujourd’hui plus nombreux qu’ils n’y paraissent et nos journées d’étude visent à mettre en commun et en perspective tant les acquis que les objectifs de plusieurs projets numériques – quel que soit leur stade d’avancement – liés à l’histoire du livre, de l’écrit et de la lecture, dans le cadre d’une analyse trans-période, du point de vue de la (re)production (calligraphie, ATRisation/HTRisation/OCRisation des documents numérisés) mais aussi de la diffusion et de la réception (histoire des éditeurs et des emprunts en bibliothèques) ou de la gestion numérique des données et de la maintenance que cela suppose. Autrement dit, ces journées visent également à faire dialoguer différents professionnels de la mise en ligne, de la valorisation et de la visualisation des données historiques relatives au livre, quelles que soient les périodes considérées. Les sessions alternent théorie et pratique et jouent des différentes périodes historiques, sinon des différentes échelles géographiques, afin de nous permettre de prendre plus d’ampleur sur le phénomène des Humanités numériques en cours. Bref, cet événement se veut un espace de discussion non exclusif. Voir le programme detaillé
CallFront Seminar - 8 November 2023 - Umberto Bongianino
Ophiuchus and Snake in a Maghreb manuscript of the Kitab Suwar al-kawakib al-thabita, BnF Arabe 2488, f. 46a
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 8 novembre 2023, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : De la calligraphie à l’uranographie : concevoir et dessiner le firmament au Maghreb médiéval Umberto Bongianino (université d’Oxford) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : Deux manuscrits peu connus du Kitab Suwar al-kawakib al-thabita (Livre des étoiles fixes) de Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi nous permettent de réfléchir sur la façon dont les constellations ptolémaïques étaient représentées au Maghreb médiéval, au confluent de diverses traditions iconographiques asiatiques et européennes. De plus, la haute qualité calligraphique et artistique d’un de ces manuscrits, achevé en 1224 à Ceuta pour un savant philanthrope d’origine andalouse, révèle plusieurs aspects fascinants de la culture bibliophilique de l’époque. Séance accessible via Zoom Retrouvez plus d’informations sur l’agenda de l’INHA. ------------------------- We are pleased to welcome Umberto Bongianino for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on November 8th, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : De la calligraphie à l’uranographie : concevoir et dessiner le firmament au Maghreb médiéval Umberto Bongianino (Oxford University) Session can be accessed via zoom. Download the Flyer
CallFront Seminar - 6 December 2023 - Mauro Nobili
Tafsir in Arabic and Tamasheq, Mali, Timbuktu, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, ESS 04958 – CC BY-NC 4.0
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 6 décembre 2023, de 17h à 19h, à l’Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : West African Script Styles: Between Paleography and History Mauro Nobili (University of Illinois) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : Les spécialistes des calligraphies en caractères arabes ont souvent négligé l’Afrique de l’Ouest, désignant les styles locaux sous le terme Maghribi, écriture pourtant propre à l’Afrique du Nord, ou Sudani, sorte de version rudimentaire du Maghribi. Cette conférence s’attachera à explorer la généalogie du mot Sudani et à démontrer son inadéquation. La comparaison de trois calligraphies, le Saharawi, le Suqi et le Barnawi, permettra de proposer une classification plus précise. Loin de se limiter à un exercice de paléographie, l’analyse de ces formes fournit des informations cruciales sur le développement de l’alphabétisation en Afrique de l’Ouest. ------------------- Séance accessible via Zoom We are pleased to welcome Mauro Nobili for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on December 6th, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : West African Script Styles: Between Paleography and History Mauro Nobili (University of Illinois) Abstract : Scholars of Islamic calligraphies and scripts have often neglected West Africa. At most, they refer to the styles of West African Arabic manuscripts simply as maghribi – the script peculiar of North Africa west of Egypt. Others employ the “umbrella term” sudani – which is often used to describe an unpolished version of the maghribi. This seminar will first explore the genealogy of the label sudani and prove its inadequacy. It will then introduce a more accurate classification of such styles, comparing three of them (Saharawi, Suqi, and Barnawi) and presenting their paleographic features. The presentation will conclude by showing how the analysis of these scripts is not exclusively an exercise of paleography. On the contrary, this exploration provides crucial information on the development of literacy in West Africa. Session can be accessed via zoom
Talk - 13 December 2023 - Seminar "Les liens qui font les Humanités numériques"
L’équipe CALLFRONT interviendra dans le cadre du séminaire Les liens qui font les humanités numériques le mercredi 13 décembre 2023 de 10h à 12h30 à l’ENS-PSL, Salle Berthier, U207, 29 rue d’Ulm, Paris). Plus d’information
Talk - 31 January 2024 - Séminaire Histoire et archéologie de l’Islam médiéval (Equipe Islam médiéval, UMR 8167)
Mihrab of the Niujie Mosque, Beijing. Credits: Nuria Garcia Masip
L’équipe CALLFRONT interviendra dans le cadre du séminaire Histoire et archéologie de l’Islam médiéval (Equipe Islam médiéval, UMR 8167), le mercredi 31 janvier 2024 de 17h à 19h à l’Institut de recherche sur Byzance, l’Islam et la Méditerranée au Moyen Âge (IRBIMMA) escalier B, dernier étage, 17, rue de la Sorbonne 75005 Paris.
CallFront Seminar - 29 March 2024 - Saarthak Singh
Foundation inscription of the Mosque of Udaypur, Madhya Pradesh, 1338-39 (hijri 739) © Saarthak Singh 2022
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphie aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 29 mars 2024, de 12h à 14h, à l’Institut d’Art et Archéologie (Paris), salle Doucet : Epigraphic practices in Sultanate North India, 14th-15th centuries Saarthak Singh (Gent University) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : Cette conférence porte sur les aspects sociaux et artistiques de la production épigraphique dans l’Inde des sultanats aux XIVe et XVe siècles. Les textes arabes et persans inscrits sur les mosquées, les mausolées et d’autres monuments sont souvent lus comme des documents de patronage, avec peu d’attention portée à leurs qualités esthétiques ou à leur contexte architectural. Ces derniers peuvent nous renseigner sur les pratiques épigraphiques, de la conception et l’exécution des inscriptions en pierre à leur rhétorique et leur réception dans les espaces publics. -------------- We are pleased to welcome Saarthak Singh for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy on the Frontiers of the Islamic World, which will take place on March 29th, 2023, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., at the Institut d’Art et Archéologie (Paris), salle Doucet : Epigraphic practices in Sultanate North India, 14th-15th centuries Saarthak Singh (Gent University) Abstract : This talk focuses on the social and artistic aspects of epigraphic production in North India under Sultanate rule during the 14th and 15th centuries. Arabic and Persian texts inscribed on mosques, mausolea and other monuments are usually read as documents of patronage, with little attention to their aesthetic qualities or to their architectural context. Doing so can yield some insights into epigraphic practices, from the design and execution of stone inscriptions to their rhetoric and reception in public spaces.
CallFront Seminar - 15 October 2024 - Zulfikar Hirji & Sana Mirza
Quatrième volume d'un Coran en quatre parties (Al-Qāriʿah (Q.101 : 1-4)) copié vers 1245/1829 par ʿAbd al-Karīm b. ʿUmar al-Nawfalī (d. 1274/1857-8) à Faza (île de Pate, Kenya), Mascate (Sultanat d'Oman), Ministère de la Culture et du Patrimoine, n° 2220.
La prochaine séance du séminaire Calligraphies en caractères arabes aux frontières du monde islamique (CallFront) aura lieu le 15 octobre 2024, de 18h à 20h, à l’Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (Paris), salle Walter Benjamin : Styling the Script: Calligraphy and Illumination in Eastern African Qur’an Manuscripts Zulfikar Hirji (York University) Sana Mirza (Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art) Organisation : Eloïse Brac de la Perrière, Maxime Durocher Résumé : Sana Mirza et Zulfikar Hirji explorent les styles la calligraphie et l'enluminure dans les manuscrits coraniques d'Afrique de l'Est (Harar et côte swahilie). Ils interrogent la multiplicité des styles d'écriture utilisés dans ces manuscrits, l'histoire de leur production ainsi que la relation entre les styles calligraphiques utilisés dans les manuscrits et leurs équivalents sur d'autres supports à travers la région. Affiche en PDF Lien Zoom ----------- We are pleased to welcome Zulfikar Hirji and Sana Mirza for the next session of the seminar CALLFRONT Calligraphy at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World, which will take place on October 15th, 2024, 6:00-8:00 p.m., at the Institut national d'histoire de l'art (salle Benjamin) : Styling the Script: Calligraphy and Illumination in Eastern African Qur’an Manuscripts Zulfikar Hirji (York University) Sana Mirza (Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art) Abstract : Sana Mirza and Zulfikar Hirji explore calligraphy and illumination in Qur’an manuscripts from Eastern Africa: Harar and the Swahili Coast. They discuss the multiplicity of script styles used in these manuscripts and their histories of production as well as the relationship between the manuscripts inscription styles and those that appear in other media from the region. PDF Version Zoom
Workshop - 15-17 May 2024 - L’art de la calligraphie arabe de la péninsule Ibérique à l’Afrique de l’Ouest
Coran vers 1405, Tunisie, BnF, Départements des Manuscrits, Arabe 392 https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/image/3884479d-d6ea-4ee2-a8ea-5bd002b38176-versets-coran-encre-argent-sur-papier-pourpre
La péninsule Ibérique, l’Afrique du Nord et l’Afrique de l’Ouest constituent un vaste territoire où, depuis la période médiévale jusqu’à nos jours, la calligraphie en caractères arabes s’est développée en des styles variés, éloignés des canons de la calligraphie arabe classique. Durant une semaine, en collaboration avec Sorbonne Université, l’INHA accueillera une équipe internationale rassemblant chercheurs et maîtres calligraphes qui analyseront ensemble les développements de ces écritures. Deux événements publics, une rencontre avec les calligraphes, ainsi qu’une journée d’étude ponctueront cette semaine d’échange autour de l’art d’écrire. 15 mai 2024 - Atelier : Les traditions manuscrites d’Afrique de l’Ouest : rencontre avec les maîtres calligraphes
Calligraphe Boubacar Sadeck © Timbouctu Manuscript Project
17h-19h / INHA, Galerie Colbert, Auditorium Jacqueline Lichtenstein, 2 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris ENTREE LIBRE Les traditions manuscrites d’Afrique de l’Ouest : rencontre avec les maîtres calligraphes La calligraphie en caractères arabes a connu différents développements dans le monde islamique. Elle s’est adaptée aux outils et matériaux locaux, aux systèmes de transmission et aux traditions de chaque région. La pratique calligraphique en Afrique de l'Ouest, qui perdure encore, trouve ses racines dans l’oralité et la transmission du geste. Deux maîtres calligraphes, respectivement formés dans les traditions malienne et mauritanienne, en dialogue avec des chercheurs, spécialistes de ces écritures, présenteront les différentes traditions calligraphiques à travers des démonstrations de leur pratique. Une partie de l’événement se déroulera en anglais. Intervenants Mohameden Ahmed Salem (maître calligraphe, Mauritanie), Éloïse Brac de la Perrière (INHA), Nuria Garcia Masip (Sorbonne Université), Cheikh Mahamane Mahamoudou dit Cheikh Hamou (maître calligraphe, Mali), Susana Molins Lliteras (université du Cap), Andrea Brigaglia (Université de Naples L'orientale) Affiche 17 mai 2024 - Journée d'études/Workshop : Les traditions calligraphiques de la péninsule Ibérique à l’Afrique de l’Ouest / Calligraphic traditions from the Iberian Peninsula to West Africa (accès sur inscription)
Coran en écriture sudanī, XVIIIe-XIXe siècles, Londres, British Library, Or 16,751
9h-18h / Maison de la Recherche, Sorbonne Université, salle D323, 28 rue Serpente SUR INSCRIPTION UNIQUEMENT : par mail à callfront@inha.fr La péninsule ibérique, l'Afrique du Nord et l'Afrique de l'Ouest constituent un vaste territoire où la calligraphie en caractères arabes s'est développée en plusieurs styles distincts, employés pour l'arabe ou pour les langues vernaculaires. Epigraphie et manuscrits témoignent de ces systèmes de codification et de transmission riches et variés et révèlent des liens entre certaines zones géographiques à certains moments de l’histoire. Cette journée d’études a pour but d’établir un bilan des recherches et d’initier une discussion entre chercheurs et artistes concernés. Intervenants Umberto Bongianino (université d’Oxford), Andrea Brigaglia (université de Naples « l’Orientale »), Nuria de Castilla (EPHE), Susana Molins Lliteras (Initiative de recherches sur les archives et la culture publique, Université du Cap), Mauro Nobili (université de l’Illinois à Urbana-Champaign), Lotfi Abdeljawad (Institut national du patrimoine, Tunisie) Programme 8:45 Accueil 9:15 Introduction - Eloïse Brac de la Perrière (INHA) 9:30 In the shadow of al-Andalus? The African dimension of Maghribī calligraphy - Umberto Bongianino (University of Oxford) 10:10 Of scripts and copyists – Nuria de Castilla (EPHE, PSL, Paris) 10:50 Pause café 11:05 From kufic to curvilinear style: evidence of transition in Ifriqiyan inscriptions (5th-7th c. AH / 11th-13th c. AD) – Lotfi Abdel Jawad (Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunisie) 11:45 Discussion 12:30 Pause déjeuner 14:00 “Central Sudanic” Arabic scripts? A tentative taxonomy and a genealogical hypothesis for an Arabic script tradition - Andrea Brigaglia (L'orientale Di Napoli) 14:40 What’s in a copy? An exemplar of Timbuktu’s calligraphic traditions, al-Jazūlī’s Dalāʼil al-khayrāt - Susana Molins Lliteras (University of Capetown) 15:20 Pause café 15:35 Zooming into the Middle Niger and the Greater Senegambia: further reflections on West African script styles - Mauro Nobili (University of Illinois) 16:15 Discussion 17:00 Conclusion Cocktail Programme en PDF
Workshop - 22-23 January 2025 - Calligraphie et inscriptions aux frontières du monde islamique
Inscription de la mosquée Özbeg Khan, Qirim (Crimée), 1314-1315 © Nicole Kançal-Ferrari
Le matériel épigraphique constitue une part non négligeable des calligraphies en caractères arabes. Beaucoup reste à explorer dans certaines régions où ces formes écrites ont souvent pris des significations spécifiques pouvant aller bien au-delà de leur message textuel. Cette rencontre est organisée en deux temps : une table-ronde réunira d’abord un chercheur, une calligraphe et un tailleur de pierre, dans un échange portant sur les modus operandi. Une journée d’études rassemblera ensuite archéologues, historiens de l’art et épigraphistes travaillant sur les inscriptions sur les rives de la mer Noire, la Péninsule Ibérique, et le monde indo-persan. 22 janvier 2025 : Table-ronde - Écrire, inscrire, tailler : de la calligraphie à l’épigraphie 22 janvier 2025 - 16h-18h - INHA, Salle Vasari
Stèle funéraire, Cambay (Gujarat, Inde), 1300 © David Collection, Copenhague, 18/2015
Alors que les études sur l’épigraphie sont depuis le XIXe siècle au cœur de l’histoire de l’art et de l’archéologie du monde islamique, les questions relatives à la praxis et la chaîne opératoire demeurent peu étudiées. En s’appuyant sur des démarches expérimentales développées dans le cadre du programme de recherche CallFront, cette table-ronde qui rassemblera chercheurs, calligraphe et tailleur de pierre, a pour but de questionner les processus créatifs et les modalités de transfert des calligraphies sur les supports inscrits. Intervenants : Maxime Durocher (Sorbonne Université) Nuria Garcia Masip (Sorbonne Université) Thierry Gregor (Université de Poitiers) Elizabeth Lambourn (Université De Montfort, Leicester) Entrée libre 23 janvier 2025 : Journée d’étude – Inscrire et mettre en scène : pratiques épigraphiques aux frontières du monde islamique 23 janvier 2025 – 9h-17h - INHA-SU, salle Perrot
Inscription bilingue, Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh, Inde), 1495 © Saarthak Singh
Cette journée d’étude, porte plus spécifiquement sur la péninsule ibérique, les rives de la mer Noire et le monde indo-persan. Elle vise à étudier les formes des écritures en caractères arabes sur le matériel épigraphique. Il s’agit notamment de poser la question de la variation du canon et du développement de styles régionaux. La mise en scène de ces calligraphies et son impact sur la création et la réception des œuvres sont aussi au cœur des questionnements mis en avant durant cette rencontre. Programme : 9:00 Accueil 9:15 Introduction - Éloïse Brac de la Perrière (INHA/Sorbonne Université) 9:30 Inscrire les graphies curvilinéaires : Questions méthodologiques soulevées par deux corpus afghans - Viola Allegranzi (Institut d’études iraniennes, Académie autrichienne des sciences), Martina Massullo (Département des arts de l’Islam, musée du Louvre) 10:30 Pause café 11 :00 Epigraphic practices in Sultanate India: case studies from Malwa, 14th-15th centuries / Pratiques épigraphiques dans l’Inde des sultanats: études de cas du Malwa, xive-xve siècles - Saarthak Singh (École française d'Extrême-Orient) 11:30 Épigraphie et calligraphies en Anatolie médiévale : des premières inscriptions ottomanes et de leurs voisins - Maxime Durocher (Sorbonne Université UMR 8167) 12:00 Discussion 12:30 Pause déjeuner 14:00 Islamic Epigraphy in the Crimean Peninsula: Building Inscriptions and Calligraphic Material from the 14th to 15th Centuries / L’épigraphie islamique dans la péninsule de Crimée : inscriptions monumentales et matériel calligraphique des xive et xve siècles - Nicole Kançal-Ferrari (Université de Marmara, Istanbul) 14:30 La commande épigraphique dans les Balkans ottomans : réflexions sur les liens entre calligraphie et patronage - Vincent Thérouin (Sorbonne Université, Centre André Chastel UMR 8150) 15:00 Pause café 15:30 Aux frontières d’al-Andalus : l’épigraphie monumentale arabe en Castille - Julie Marquer (Université Lyon 2, CIHAM UMR 5648) 16:00 Discussion 16:30 Conclusion Sur inscription en écrivant à callfront@inha.fr Programme en PDF
To facilitate the reuse of data from the Callfront project, the website provides an API (Application Programming Interface (API)). This API allows users to query, retrieve and download data from the Callfront website. It is based on the standard API provided by Omeka S, the content management system (CMS) on which Callfront has been developed. Contents API root URL Building a simple query Building a single-criterion advanced query Building a multi-criteria advanced query Understanding the query results (converting JSON to CSV) API root URL All API requests begin with the following base URL: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/ The API root URL provides access to the complete list of API resources available in the Callfront Omeka S instance. From this entry point, you can browse the available endpoints (such as items, item_sets, media, properties, resource_classes, etc.) and build your own queries to retrieve data. Building a simple query To retrieve all available data (items and scripts), use the following endpoint: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items Changing the number of returned items By default, the API returns 100 items per request in JSON format. You can increase this limit by using the per_page parameter. For example: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items?per_page=500 You may request any number of items, for example: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items?per_page=2000 Note: the larger the number of requested items, the longer the response may take to load. Building an advanced query General syntax Advanced API queries must follow a specific syntax. Each search criterion is defined by three parameters: property[0][property] → the search field indice property[0][type] → the type of search to perform the identifier (o:id) of the property to search property[0][text] → the value to search for The different parameters must be separated by ampersands (&): property[0][property]={property ID}&property[0][type]={search type}&property[0][text]={search value} Search parameters: search field indice, properties, types and values To build a query, you must specify: search field indice (property[0][xxxx]); the type of search (property[0][type]); the identifier (o:id) of the property to search (property); the value to search for (text). Search fields indice and properties Do not confuse the search field indice, which is referred to as property[X] in the API syntax, with the property o:id code used in the query. In Callfront, both items and scripts use the same resource template. The complete list of available properties and their corresponding identifiers (o:id) is available at: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/properties?per_page=500 Note: by default, the API displays only the first 100 properties. Increase the per_page parameter to retrieve the complete list. In addition to items and scripts, the Callfront project also defines Item Sets, representing geographical areas (countries, regions, etc.) grouping together objects originating from the same area. For example: geographical Item Sets contain a single search field indicating whether an object belongs to a given geographical area; items also expose a single search field (item descriptor), which can target multiple properties. Consequently, queries targeting geographical areas or items always use the search field indice property[0]. The number 0 refers to this unique search field. Scripts, however, expose several search fields. Their indices must therefore be adjusted according to the search field in which you want to search for a given value associated with a given property : [1], [2], [3]. There is no API endpoint listing the available search field indices. The indice of a search field can be inferred either from its position in the search form or by examining the URL generated by the web interface after performing a search. Search types Each property can be queried using several search operators. Using the value "flower" as an example: eq: exact match (returns only values equal to "flower", but not "flowers" or "flowering"). neq: exact non-match (returns values different from "flower"). in: contains (returns values containing "flower", such as "flowers" or "flowering"). nin: does not contain (returns values that do not contain "flower" in any form). ex: property is not empty (returns all resources having at least one value for this property). nex: property is empty (returns all resources with no value for this property). Search value Finally, specify the value to search for, for example: Hadith, alif vertical, rectangle, etc. Building your query You can now build your query by appending the search parameters to the API base URL. For example, to retrieve all objects belonging to the geographical Item Set China: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items?item_set_id[]=2633&per_page=500 By default, only 100 results are returned. Increase the number of returned resources using the per_page parameter. When querying Item Sets, there is no need to specify a field indice or a property because they expose only one search field. The identifier (o:id) of the geographical area is sufficient. In this example, 2633 is the o:id corresponding to China. The complete list of geographical Item Sets and their identifiers is available here. Beyond Item Sets, you can of course query the API directly for items and scripts. Example of a simple property query https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items?property[0][property]={property ID}&property[0][type]={search type}&property[0][text]={search value} Replacing the placeholders with actual values, the following query retrieves objects whose Text Type property (329) contains the value "Devotional text": https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items?property[0][joiner]=and&property[0][property]=329&property[0][type]=in&property[0][text]=Devotional+text Note: each parameter must be separated by an ampersand (&). As previously explained, you can increase the number of returned resources by appending &per_page=500 (or another value) to the query. Here is another example querying scripts rather than items: https://callfront.inha.fr/api/items?property[1][joiner]=or&property[1][property]=266&property[1][type]=in&property[1][text]=rectangular This query searches scripts whose General Characteristics search field (property[1]) contains the property Shape (266) with the value "rectangular". Building a multi-criteria query with logical operators You can build more advanced queries by combining several search criteria. For example, suppose you want to retrieve all items belonging to the geographical Item Set Greater Iran (1767), and whose Text Type property (329) contains the value Hadith, or whose scripts contains ascending alif vertical. Each property[X] block represents one search criterion. The Boolean operator between two criteria is determined by the joiner parameter. To achieve this, simply concatenate the different query parameters using ampersands (&): item_set_id[]=1767 &property[0][joiner]=and &property[0][property]=329 &property[0][type]=in &property[0][text]=Hadith &property[3][joiner]=or &property[3][property]=240 &property[3][type]=in &property[3][text]=alif+-+vertical Since Ascender corresponds to the fourth search field available for scripts, its indice is property[3] (remember that indexing starts at 0). You may combine as many search criteria as required, even between properties which are in the same field indice. To combine multiple search criteria, use the joiner parameter: property[X][joiner]=and or property[X][joiner]=or This parameter specifies the Boolean operator used to combine the current criterion with the previous one. Remember that the Boolean operator between two criteria is defined by the joiner parameter of the current criterion. The first criterion usually has joiner=and, but this has no practical effect because there is no previous criterion. Understanding the query results (converting JSON to CSV) The results of your query are returned in JSON format, which is not always easy to read or analyse directly. If you would like to view the results in a spreadsheet application, you can convert the JSON output into CSV format using an online converter: https://www.convertcsv.com/json-to-csv.htm Simply copy the entire JSON response returned by the API and paste it into the converter, in the "Step 1: Select your input → Enter Data" field. Then click "Convert JSON to CSV". Once the conversion is complete, click "Download Result" to download the CSV file, which can be opened in any spreadsheet software.
MA Student Ecole nationale des chartes - PSL Contact / chiara.tedesco@chartes.psl.eu
Chiara Tedesco holds a Master’s degree in Art History and Archaeology of the Byzantine and Ottoman worlds from Sorbonne University. As of 2026, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Science for the Humanities at the École nationale des chartes – PSL. Her thesis explores architectural interactions among different religious communities in Ottoman Greece. Within CallFront, she is in charge of the implementation of the database and the setup of the website.
Documentalist Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art Contact / michele.galdemar@inha.fr
Michèle is a documentalist at the INHA. She participated to the research programmes Connoisseurs, Collectors and Dealers of Asian Art in France, 1700-1939 (2020-2022) and Medieval Kâshi Online (2019-2023) after few years spent as a scientific documentalist for the Asian art Guimet Museum. For the Callfront project, she contributed as a database specialist for the datamodel definition and OmekaS structuration, and final archiving of the project on Nakala.
Exploring Recreative Practice Methodologies in Islamic Art – Writing on Stone at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World
Nuria Garcia Masip & Vincent Thérouin Article originally published on Hypothèses, 21 March 2023.
From right to left : Nuria Garcia Masip, Elizabeth Lambourn, Eloïse Brac de la Perrière
During the week of November 21st 2022, the CallFront team had the pleasure of welcoming Elizabeth Lambourn, Professor of Material Histories at De Montford University, Leicester U.K. for a series of experimental sessions of writing on stone.[1] For these sessions we focused on a series of specimens from Elizabeth Lambourn’s corpus, inscriptions on stone from Khambhat, Gujarat, dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.[2] These inscriptions include cenotaphs, headstones, foundation inscriptions and certain architectural fragments, carved on marble for Muslim patrons. Our point of departure for these experiments was the hypothesis that these inscriptions were perhaps written and designed directly on stone. The comparative rarity of paper or similar surfaces in late medieval Gujarat[3]as well as the scale of the inscription programs, would exclude the use of a pounce or model to transfer the calligraphy unto the final surface, as was possibly the case in other areas of the Islamicate world. We proceeded with the clear premise that this is only a reconstruction of certain stages of the production process. Our aim was not to recreate a replica of the object, but rather to understand certain aspects of the writing process based on an experimental approach. We thus concentrated on the following questions: Is it possible to write on stone directly and produce an accurate model? If so, which tools and which ink would be used to write on marble and create the necessary outline for carvers to follow?
From left to right, Cambay tombstones from David Collection 18/2015, British Museum 1840,0302.1, Victoria and Albert Museum no. A12 1933, Khalili Collection MXD15.
We based our study on four Cambay stone inscriptions held in Western institutions which could be easily accessible in case of further analysis: 1) David Collection 18/2015, 2) British Museum 1840,0302.1, 3) Khalili Collection MXD15, 4) Victoria and Albert Museum no. A12 1933. These institutions provide access to extremely high-resolution images which were printed to scale and used as models during the writing process. Since this was our first experiment on stone, we decided not to limit ourselves to marble but to include granite as well, also used in other geographical areas that form part of the CallFront project, for example Fujian in China. We sourced slabs of broadly similar type from a French marble supplier, mostly varieties of white and pink marble and granite, with polished and non-polished surfaces. The main consideration in choosing the ink was for the ink to be easily erasable, to be able to correct mistakes, and the consistency, for the tool to glide on the stone effortlessly and deposit the pigment smoothly. Ink recipes in Indian sources point to the use of lamp black,[4] as well as mineral pigments, such as red oxide. Our first experiments quickly revealed that the black soot ink was difficult to erase, and thus, while it provided an accurate clear stroke, was not a good option for an initial sketch. Other lighter pigments such as a mix of yellow oxide, gum arabic and water, provided equal results in terms of stroke accuracy. The oxide pigment revealed to be the best ally on the stone, leaving enough of a trace while being easily erasable once it had dried to powder.
Different types of inks on granite and white marble.
From left to right a selection of writing tools: regular reed, cane, cut bamboo, soft model wood
Based on the presence of square points and the curvilinear nature of the writing, we experimented with a variety of tools that could recreate the effect of a calamus: bamboo, soft cane, leather, and soft model wood, all cut at a 35 degree angle. Soft wood or cane were the tools that performed best, the spongelike fibers absorbing the ink while providing enough grip to smoothly deposit the pigment on various surfaces and preserving the exterior and interior points of the calamus. For the final trials we followed a similar procedure to those followed in Indian sculpture workshops,[5] first measuring the main layout with a compass, then making a light sketch with a piece of charcoal.[6] This allowed us to establish the main layout of each line, margins and proportions, being able to easily correct and adapt the length of the line. Once the main letter forms were in place, we then proceeded to write the detailed model, using the soft cane calamus with the light oxide pigment. The strokes left by the pigment allowed us to clearly define the letters, working on the final result directly on the stone, while always having a margin for corrections in case of mistakes. The entire process, working from basic measurements, to a general layout with charcoal, to precise detailed letter forms, was thus performed directly on the stone without the use of any accessory writing surface.
Next phases in the project will involve further experiments with ink consistencies and pigments, notably with red oxide or sindur[7] which were commonly used in paintings. Furthermore, a study of the layout proportions in headstones displaying similar epigraphic content, might reveal certain principles which underly the creative process itself. Indeed, the encouraging results of these initial experiments with ink, tools, and preparatory handwriting processes, invite us to pursue and expand our approach applied to Islamic epigraphy by moving on to the next stage, namely experimental stone carving.
[1] This was the result of a series of conversations between Elizabeth Lambourn and Nuria Garcia Masip which took place during the International Workshop on Recreative Practices in the Art and Humanities organized by Lambourn and held at De Montfort University, Leicester, U.K., on the 15 – 16 June 2022. [2] For more details on this research see Elizabeth Lambourn, “Carving and communities: marble carving for Muslim communities at Khambhat and around the Indian Ocean rim (late 13th–mid-15th centuries CE).” Ars Orientalis 34 (2004): 101-35. [3] See Masatoshi A. Konishi, Hāth-Kāghaz. History of Handmade Paper in South Asia, Shimla and New Delhi: Indian Institute of Advanced Study and Aryan Books International, 2013 and also discussion in Elizabeth Lambourn, “Some New Uses of the Geniza Mercantile Letter – On the Materiality of Writing in the Indian Ocean World.” In Fruit of Knowledge, Wheel of Learning: Essays in Honour of Professor Robert Hillenbrand, edited by Melanie Gibson, 158-79. London: Gingko Library, 2022. [4] P. K. Gode. Studies in Indian Cultural History. Vol. III. Poona: B.O.R. Institute, 1969. p. 25, 31-47. At this first stage of experimentation we were not able to experiment with some of the vegetal pigments mentioned in traditional recipes such as the fruit and bark of myrobalans, notably chebulic myrobalans (Terminalia chebula) and the nut of the oriental cashew (Semecarpus anacardium). [5] Fieldwork performed by Susana Marin in Hindu temple sculptor workshops some years ago confirmed that painters and sculptors were known to draw the first drawing directly on stone measuring all the proportions with a compass and drawing lines with charcoal. Susana Marin, The Living Tradition of Pahari Painting, PhD Dissertation, Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, London, 2015, p. 211-12. [6] Recipes for charcoal or pencils used in the preliminary stages of painting point to “lampblack mixed with boiled rice made into a paste and then turned into pencil-chalks or crayons”, V.C. Ohri, The Technique of Pahari Painting, Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2002, p. 52 [7] Marin, p. 2011-12.
Garcia Masip, N., & Thérouin, V. (2023, March 21). Exploring recreative practice methodologies in Islamic art – Writing on stone at the frontiers of the Islamicate World. CallFront. https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/exploring-recreative-practice-methodologies-in-islamic-art
Garcia Masip, Nuria, and Vincent Thérouin. “Exploring Recreative Practice Methodologies in Islamic Art – Writing on Stone at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World.” CallFront, March 21, 2023. https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/exploring-recreative-practice-methodologies-in-islamic-art.
Garcia Masip, Nuria, and Vincent Thérouin. “Exploring Recreative Practice Methodologies in Islamic Art – Writing on Stone at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World.” CallFront, 21 Mar. 2023, https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/exploring-recreative-practice-methodologies-in-islamic-art.
Exploring Sulawesi Qur’ans: Writing Techniques, Tools and Materials
Hêvi Saado Article originally published on Hypothèses, 4 September 2023.
In May 2023, the CallFront team had the pleasure of welcoming two specialists of Malay and Indonesian manuscripts: Annabel Teh Gallop, head of the Southeast Asia section of the British Library; and Ali Akbar, calligrapher and a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia (BRIN), former head of collection at the Bayt Al-Qur’an & Museum in Jakarta. This time, our focus was drawn to a corpus of manuscripts, more precisely Qur’ans copied in Southeast Asia during the 17th to the 19th Centuries. These manuscripts were produced in the Malay Archipelago, covering the current nations of Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia, of which the major islands are Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Sulawesi (Celebes).
Annabel Teh Gallop and Ali Akbar during their research at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, may 2023 © CALLFRONT
Thanks to the extensive research of Annabel Teh Gallop and Ali Akbar in this field,[1] we started our study with a selection of Sulawesi Qur’ans. This corpus allowed us to make observations about the local traditions of copying the Qur’an, as well as the calligraphy displayed in these manuscripts. Incorporating praxis to this study is especially necessary as the calligraphies studied in this corpus are no longer practiced by professional calligraphers today. However, even in this region, the copy of the Quranic text was extremely codified. Thus, the recreation of the writing process and techniques can potentially lead to interesting conclusions about its context of use. Furthermore, as one of the purposes of the project is to find connections between other calligraphies at the frontiers of the Islamicate world, these experiments can allow us to draw connections between corpora from different regions. Consequently, we organized two work sessions aiming to understand and re-create the writing praxis of the Quranic tradition of Southeast Asia. This was possible thanks to the calligraphic skills and knowledge of Ali Akbar, in collaboration with Annabel Gallop, who had already engaged in documenting some of the traditional materials of the region such as the local dluwang paper, local reeds, and inks which he shared with the project.[2] The intention of this praxis session was not to recreate identically the original text, but rather to document the entire writing process: the choice of tools and materials (pen, paper and ink), the characteristic letter forms, and the writing techniques involved. As a starting point, it is important to bear in mind that even if the canonical form of calligraphies in Arabic script (naskhi, muhaqqaq, thuluth, riqa’, rayhani and tawqi’) were known and respected in Southeast Asia, differences in their execution are nevertheless visible. While the art of calligraphy was widespread in the area, local variants were developed in each region, and we can distinguish local “schools” or artistic communities working on the calligraphy as well as in the illumination. The first step in our praxis session was to gather information regarding the material characteristics of one of the manuscripts from the selected corpus: its dimensions, those of the text block, the type of paper, and the type of ink. A Qur’an from West Sulawesi was chosen, dated 1276 H (1859-1860)[3]. As we didn’t have access to the original, we reproduced two folios to the exact scale.
Left : Qur’an from West Sulawesi, dated 1276 H (1859-1860), Collection of Hajjah Nuryena // Right : Last page of the same manuscript showing the 15 lines for writing the Qur’anic text © Ali Akbar
This information is crucial for the praxis, for even though we don’t have access to the same material support and the same ink, we try to choose tools and materials with similar properties in order to be as faithful as possible to the original. Therefore, we chose a handam calamus from Aceh, probably similar to the local Sulawesi reeds, with a hard nib. For the paper, which in this case was a European rag paper, we used an uncoated factory-produced 80 gram uncoated white paper whose texture was the closest to the model. We also used a locally produced Indonesian ink, the Cianjur West Java ink, made from soot and sticky rice. [4] While Ali Akbar had documented the traditional use of banana stem fibers inside the inkwell, due to the absence of these fibers we used a regular silk fiber wad (liqa) to act as sponge.
Ali Akbar working on the reproductions of individual letter forms with the reed calamus and ink © CALLFRONT
The second step was preparing to write the main letterforms. To be accurate, we took into consideration the fact that the nuqta system, which lays at the basis of the codification of canonical calligraphies,[5] was probably not employed in Southeast Asia. The calligraphers seemed to have copied the script directly by imitation of their teacher’s hand and through regular training. It is still unclear whether they followed specific rules to establish the margins, the distance between the lines, and the size of the calamus. In the Sulawesi Qur’an from the Nuryena collection, we have 15 lines a page, which is a very common mistar in this region, following the Ottoman model[6]. Questioning the relationship between the size of the nib of the calamus, and the distance between the lines in different specimens, lead us to believe that the dimensions and number of lines are probably predetermined by the size of the paper used and not by the calligraphy itself. Finally, calligraphers Ali Akbar and Nuria Garcia Masip proceeded to reproduce the isolated letters found in the model. The paper sheet was prepared by tracing invisible lines with a fingernail over a ruler. The main questions guiding this reproduction focused on the articulation and decomposition of letters, the direction of strokes, ink consistency, and pressure. The first evident fact pointed out by the calligraphers after this experiment was that the direction of strokes corresponds to the naskhscript. However, the angle of the calam remains quite stable, with full contact of the nib on the page and with very few nuances in the stroke. They thus agreed on a continuous ductus with little contrast. Furthermore, when possible, the calamus shouldn’t be lifted from the page, but perform the strokes in one continuous motion. Therefore, if the ink allows it, this would mean that the calligrapher wrote relatively fast. Research on archival sources confirmed that the copy of one Qur’an could last about a year, sometimes even less, which would seem to match this observation.
The CallFront team at work, documenting and recording the local tools © CALLFRONT
The next steps in these experiments would ideally be to perform a reproduction of a full page following the same approach. This of course requires time and practice on the part of the calligrapher in order to acquire the necessary writing consistency and fluidity. In the meantime, this praxis session was a unique opportunity to document local tools and materials which are gradually falling into disuse, as well as provide a window into the actual formation of local calligraphic variants. Perhaps shaped by local taste, by the transmission of masters to students, or by imitation of imported models, it is undeniable that the result is a unique local Sulawesi naskh. We look forward to expanding these recreative practices to other scripts in the region, in the hope of documenting the unique richness of these local calligraphic practices. [1] Annabel Teh Gallop, “The Boné Qur’an from South Sulawesi,” in Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum: Arts of the Book and Calligraphy, ed. Margaret S. Graves and Benoît Junod (Istanbul: Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Sakip Sabanci University, 2010), 162–73; Ali Akbar, “Manuskrip Al-Qur’an dari Sulawesi Barat: Kajian Beberapa Aspek Kodikologi,” Suhuf, Jurnal Kajian Al-Qur’an 7, no. 1 (June 2014): 101-123. [2] For more details on the material support see Ann Kumar and John H. McGlynn (Editors), Illuminations: The Writing Traditions of Indonesia (Jakarta: The Lontar Foundation and New York: Weatherhill, 1996). [3] Qur’an from the private collection of Hajjah Nuryena Atjo. [4] For more details about the context of production of the Cianjur West Java ink see Rajabi Abdul Razak, Mandana Barkeshli, and Raihan Othman. “The Legacy of Traditional Indonesian Ink: Its Intensity and Durability.” In International Council of Museums Priprints, 15 (Melbourne: Eduardo Pulido, 2014). [5] For the codification of curvilinear scripts see Alain George, The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy(London: Saqi, 2010), 115-146. [6] For more details about the mistar in Malay manuscripts see Jones Russell, “More Light on Malay Manuscripts.” In Archipel, volume 8 (1974): 45-58.
Saado, H. (2023, September 4). Exploring Sulawesi Qur’ans: Writing techniques, tools and materials. CallFront. https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/exploring-sulawesi-qurans
Saado, Hévi. “Exploring Sulawesi Qur’ans: Writing Techniques, Tools and Materials.” CallFront, September 4, 2023. https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/exploring-sulawesi-qurans.
Saado, Hévi. “Exploring Sulawesi Qur’ans: Writing Techniques, Tools and Materials.” CallFront, Hypothèses, 4 Sept. 2023, https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/exploring-sulawesi-qurans.