Muslim Achievements-Calligraphy Essay Example

by first placing it on a makta. The tip is cut with a razor-sharp penknife at an angle to reveal an oval shaped opening.

It is shaped to form a flat tongue called kalem dili. The tongue is split parallel to the pen. The opening serves as a reservoir for the ink. The tip of the tongue is cut at an oblique angle. For fine scripts, the thorn of a Malaysian palm tree is attached to a reed body. The ingredients used to make the calligraphic ink were a prized secret among calligraphers. The soot of a hemp oil lamp was collected and mixed with gum arabic. Added to this were items such as gallnuts, henna leaves, and indigo. It was stored for five days, then the mixture was strained, perfumed, and thinned with water.

A hedgehog quill was used to stir it to the correct consistency. The finished ink was then poured into an inkwell that contained a small ball of raw silk called lika. The latter would absorb the ink, preventing problems of spillage and also monitoring the amount of ink taken up by a pen reed. Calligraphy was not done while sitting at a table, instead it was done while sitting on a divan or cushion. The writing paper was placed on top of an atlik, a pad of rough paper, which was balanced on the artist’s bent right knee. The flexible surface facilitated the creation of curving strokes.