Iranian Embassy, Islamic Arts Museum Organise Islamic Calligraphy Festival

By Samantha Tan KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 (Bernama) -- The Iranian Embassy Cultural Centre and Malaysia's Islamic Arts Museum are organising an Art and Cultural Festival:Iranian and Malaysian Islamic Calligraphy, which is aimed at sharing the insights and beauty of Quranic calligraphy. The event, which was launched by Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia, Marzieh Afkham Wednesday and ends on June 23, is held in conjunction with Ramadan and Nuzul Quran, which was celebrated on Monday. In her speech, Afkham said she hoped that the festival participated by Iranian and Malaysian artists would deepen and develop Quranic arts, as well as increase cooperation between the artists of both countries. “In this month (of Ramadan), Muslims have been recommended by the Prophet to recite the Quran, refer to the Quran, operate the Quran’s commands and think about the implications of the Quran. “Reciting the Quran in Ramadan brings much more rewards than doing so in other months. So, Quran transcription and doing artworks on the holy book equal with its recitation and enjoying the same value,” Afkham said. She pointed out that that since the early days of Islam, calligraphy and writing beautifully have been so important among the Muslims that the Prophet encouraged his followers to take up calligraphy. Afkham said that some calligraphers devoted their life and art to the Quran transcription and made copies of the holy book. Gradually calligraphy found its perfection and divided into different styles. “Combined with other arts such as illumination, paper making and binding, it turned into a comprehensive Quranic arts, so that today the verses of the holy Quran are used as the main point in the art of calligraphy and among calligraphers it is hard to find one who has not written a part or the whole of the holy Quran in various form,” she said. The festival's four major events are a talk on history of calligraphy and Islamic art, workshop on Nasta’liq calligraphy, illumination and techniques of line drawing and Quran calligraphy writing . It will also showcase Surah Yasin calligraphy produced by four calligraphers namely Gharbani and Tarighati from Iran and Mohd Fathy Rosely (picture) and Ahmad Ali Mahfuz Othman from Malaysia. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA