A Deliberation upon the Early Movements of Nastaliq Calligraphy during Timurid Period

Shortly after its creation by the residents of Shiraz city and called "Naskh Taliq", Nastaliq script was used by several calligraphers at the Jalairid court, Mir Ali-ibn Elias Tabrizi and Marouf Baghdadi. Moreover, there are some samples of Nastaliq script written by Mir Ali-ibn-Hasan Soltani and Najmuddin Karkhini in Tabriz (Jalairids’ winter capital). Benefitting from the skills of Mozaffarid and Jalairid artists and the experiences they had gained in bibliopegy workshops, the Timurids also belonged to the line of pro-scholarly-literary heritage and Nastaliq calligraphy with whose support, the artists of conquered territories were transferred to the centers of their rule that led to the exchange of their artistic achievements with the artists of the new lands. Through establishing institutions in these centers, including libraries, workshops and high schools often presided over by calligraphers; the Timurids directly influenced the art of calligraphy and Nastaliq in particular. While developing a system of arts education based on "master-student" method, these institutions of the era contributed to the promotion of the state religion and well represented the favored history and literature of the Timurid rulers through employing the powerful medium of Nastaliq calligraphy in communicating the governmental decrees and rules in the most beautiful form, not only to the local community but also beyond the national borders to the rulers of other nations. It was the same skill that brought respect and authority for calligraphers at the highest levels of government and made the Timurid princes such as Iskander Sultan, Ebrahim Mirza, Baysonqor Mirza and even Shahrokh vying for adept calligraphers, which in turn prompted dynamism and competiveness among the institutions and calligraphy schools and encouraged the employment and training of calligraphers. During the reign of Shahrokh and his son, Baysonqor Mirza, Herat was one of these centers that bore witness to the competition of the best calligraphers of the Nastaliq style (Mirza Ja'far Tabrizi, Mohammad-ibn-Hessam and Maruf Baghdadi) and their following art movements. Summoning of the prominent calligraphers and artists of Baghdad and Tabriz bibliopegy workshops and their employment in the institutions paved the ground for the transfer of the experiences and achievements to Shiraz and Herat. The most important of such summoning was Marouf Baghdadi’s call to Shiraz followed by Herat which profoundly affected the calligraphers of these centers. Ibrahim Mirza’s library in Shiraz which was heir to Iskander Sultan's bibliopegy traditions was superior to Herat at the time; nonetheless, through summoning Mirza Jafar Tabrizi from Tabriz to Herat, Baysonqor Mirza imbued new spirit to Herat and Shiraz’s artistic competition scene. The newcomer Mirza Ja'far Tabrizi becomes a rival of Mohammad-ibn-Hessam, the student of Marouf Baghdadi and Baysonqor Mirza’s tutor. This confrontation is also somehow regarded a competition between the Tabrizi and Shirazi-Baghdadi styles of Nastaliq. The most significant difference between the two styles is the increase of the proportion of size, decrease in the letters’ roundness and the transfer of the center of gravity of the standing meditates and bowls to the middle in Tabrizi style as compared to Baghdadi-Shirazi. Keeping in view the works survived, although Tabrizi and Baghdadi styles have both been influenced by Shirazi style, it seems that the more active Jalaierid bibliopegy workshop in Baghdad, was mostly influenced by Shirazi style and hence, could be considered something between Tabrizi and Shirazi Nastaliq calligraphy styles. Many years later, after Baysonqor Mirza's displeasure with Marouf Baghdadi and his miserable death, Mirza Jafar Tabrizi who was then presiding over the Baysonqor's court library and his followers overcame the rivals with writing Nastaliq script continuing in his and his students' style, Marouf was no more mentioned anymore and the supporters of Marouf and his student, Mohammad ibn Hessam, were marginalized. This paper aims to examine the initial changes of Nastaliq calligraphy as one of the most brilliant achievements of Islamic art in Iran and also seek answer to this question that to which art movements does the flourishment of writing Nastaliq script owe at the beginning of Timurids’ reign? Therefore, a historical-comparative is employed to analyze, compare and explain the issue based on the existing evidences and documents. To this end, the evidence required to assess the underlying factors have been collected and examined in historical and socio-cultural context. Moreover, sufficient accuracy will be provided for the identification of the evidence for further accreditation. Therefore, data has been collected through desk study of library resources.   This research reveals the interest of the Timurid princes in writing as well as using Nastaliq script for that purpose as well as the existence of two rival and powerful Nastaliq calligraphy movements in Shahrokh's court and his son Baysonqor Mirza led by Shams Baysonqori, Marouf Baghdadi and Mirza Jafar Baysonqori also influenced by earlier regional Nastaliq calligraphy styles (Shiraz-Baghdad and Tabriz). Despite triumph over the rivals, the writing Nastaliq styles attributed to Mirza Jafar Tabrizi faced difficulties towards the end of the 9th century AH in the western regions of Iran who later became known as calligraphers of the western style of writing Nastaliq.