Maghrebi script

The Maghreb font - the Maghribi ductus - (Arabic الخط المغربي, DMG al - Hatt al - maġribī ) is an elegant Arabic book font, which from the 10th century in the Maghreb (Northwest Africa) and in al -Andalus ( the Iberian Peninsula) was used. When writing material for a long time dominated parchment; Maghribi - Korans are usually relatively small and square.

System

The used under dynasties as the Almoravids, the Almohads, Marinids, Wattasids, Nasrid or Hafsids Maghribi ductus evolved from the older Kufic script and is sometimes also counted to the family of Kufic fonts. According to its regional centers can essentially be three (later merging with each other ) are different styles:

  • Qairawani ( center: Qairawan )
  • Fasi ( center: Fes)
  • Andalusi ( centers: Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, Valencia and others)

While for the first two ( African ) variants rather a large, wide typeface is typical, the letters in the Andalusian Maghribi style are usually written quite small and set a little closer.

Closely related to the Maghreb font is also in West Africa (eg Nigeria) used Sudani ductus and is therefore also sometimes regarded as another Maghribi variant.

Characteristics

Typical of the easily recognizable and hardly changed with time -do Maghribi - style is the one that the letters usually have a uniform thickness, and - in some cases very extended in the line below - are written with a clear, elegant swing, through which eye-catching curves and arcs arise. Often some letters ( for filling up the line) drawn horizontally in the length, Buchstabenschäfte ( Alif and Lam ) above slightly inclined to the left.

On the other hand some orthographic features are characteristic, which include in addition to the (otherwise unusual ) Tender of ā in words such as Alif Hadha primarily the writing of two letters Fa ( ف ) and Qaf ( ق ): In the former, are employed in the Maghribi ductus namely the diacritical point below (rather than above ); zweiterem in contrast only one point ( instead of two points) above - ie as in normal Fa (compare, for example, the case of في قلوبهم the left figure ).

In terms of the auxiliary characters also notice that this (compared to the case) are rather petite and very colorful. So the Hamzat al - qat is often marked by a red or yellow dot, the Hamzat al - wasl, however, by a countryside. Sukun and Shadda are not rare blue; Fatha and Kasra are currently set instead of at an angle.

Examples

Maghrebian writing on a page of the Qur'an al -Andalus (12th century)

Maghrebian writing on two Koran pages from North Africa (13th century)

Maghrebian writing on a Koran page from the 13th or 14th century

Maghrebian writing on a page of the Qur'an al -Andalus (14th century)

Literature and links

  • O. Houdas: " Essai sur l' écriture Maghrebine " in: Nouveaux mélanges orientaux, IIe série vol. xix. , Publications des Langues Orientales Vivantes, Paris 1886
  • N. van den Boogert: Some notes on Maghribi script http://www.islamicmanuscripts.info/reference/articles/boogert_notes_maghribi_script.PDF
DIN 31635 al-Andalus Almoravid dynasty Almohad Caliphate Nasrid dynasty Hafsid dynasty Pe (letter)#Arabic f.C4.81.CA.BC
539437
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