Studying the Kufic Script of Kitâb al-Diryâq in the National Library of France as an Excellent Example of Typography in the History of Iranian Calligraphy

The famous Kitâb al-Diryâq of the National Library of France, which was written and illustrated by Muhammad ibn Abi al-Fath ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn Abi al-Hassan ibn Abi al-Abbas Ahmad in Rabi‘ al-Awwal 595 A. H. in Iranian Kufic script(cursive), is famous for its beautiful writing and page images. The page layout of this manuscript, which is centered on the arrangement of text and its creative combination with images, can be considered as an excellent example of typography in the history of Iranian calligraphy. The purpose of studying this manuscript is to analyze its script and typography elements to introduce it as a source of inspiration for contemporary typography. Typography, as a branch of Graphic Design, has specific principles and rules, that applying them in a work of art would turn it into an outstanding one. The al-Diryâq book available in the National Library of France has a high level of such characteristics. The principled and well-considered layout of the text, the variety of font sizes in the lines, the variety of colors and the original composition have made this manuscript very rich in terms of graphics. In the arrangement of letters, words and lines, the positive and negative spaces are carefully adjusted. The form proportion in the calligraphy of this manuscript is well considered and the elements of the composition are well adjacent. This manuscript has many and valuable graphical aspects, and the scribe's artistic taste has had a significant effect on the beauty and uniqueness of it and its script. Among the distinguishing items of this manuscript, is the common way of writing during the production of it. The book size, the colours , the pagination, the style of illustrations, the type of paper and many other things that were common during the Seljuk era had an effect on the distinctiveness of the manuscript.Typography means the arrangement of letters and words based on aesthetic principles, in order to convey the written message as best as possible. The type of arrangement of letters and words and changes in the form and size of letters can be effective in connecting the typography text with the subject and conveying the message as much as possible. But typography, in the sense of arranging letters and words in order to convey the written message as much as possible, has a much longer history and it can even be claimed that it goes back to the history of the alphabet and writing. Along with many examples obtained from great and ancient civilizations, we also come across examples of typography in Iranian historical works. In Iran, the title of typography can be referred to more diverse and abundant examples, including calligraphy, which includes calligraphy and other types of it, letter design and the simultaneous use of script and image, which is contrary to the meaning and definition of western typography, which emphasizes the use of typefaces. With these definitions, typography in Iran is older than typography in its western and contemporary sense, and as a result, we can get an approximate meaning of "Iranian typography". As a branch of contemporary Graphic Design, typography in Iran is widely used in the design of posters, book cover titles, magazine layouts, etc. Considering the need of contemporary Graphic Design to the support of Iranian visual tradition, the examination of the typography of the Kufic script of the Paris al-Diryâq as a script with Iranian origin and visual richness in the field of typography can be a source of rich inspiration in this field, which has been less studied. Typography analysis of this manuscript can be used in the contemporary typography. The Kufic script of the Kitâb al-Diryâq is arranged and composed throughout the pages of the book in such a way that by further examination of it, the very precise and well-considered principles intended for typography can be obtained. All the pages of this book are arranged according to the rules of typography with the arrangement of words and letters. Also, each of these pages has a unique composition and arrangement, follows the principles, and has a special visual appeal. While the page grid is fixed, it has a high capability for creating various writing and page layout, and varies based on the text and the importance of the letters, words and sentences. The words in the page layout of this manuscript are sometimes normal, exaggerated and unusual. Despite having novel features and rich compositions as well as unique typography, this manuscript has been less investigated in terms of typography and graphical aspects. The present study tries to investigate the typography of the Kufic script of Paris Kitâb al-Diryâq by recognising the graphical aspects of its calligraphy and analyzing the its typography, so that its capabilities would be known and used in contemporary graphic design. This paper studies this manuscript from the perspective of graphical and typographical features, in addition to examining the Kufic script of it. Based on this, this article seeks to investigate what kind of Kufic script is written in the al-Diryâq manuscript of the National Library of France? How much legibility and Visual space does this manuscript have? What is the baseline, line spacing, kerning, tracking, leading, and text structure? The research method of this research is descriptive-analytical and its data collected through library information. The analysis method of this paper is based on qualitative studies, and in terms of purpose, it is fundamental. The result of this research shows that the al-Diryâq manuscript of the National Library of France, with the help of the Iranian Kufic script (cursive) and the personal style of the artist, the regular and beautiful rhythm in the letters and lines, the high readability of the writing and the unique compositions, has the characteristics of a proportional typography. All typography characteristics are applied in it, which is rare in its time and shines in the history of Iranian typography. The letters have a certain and regular spacing that creates a kind of rhythm. There is a calculated distance between the letters, which leads the eye from one word to the next word and leads to a more fluent reading of the text. Each part of these texts is separated from other lines by a certain size, which has a great effect on the order and beauty of the book's typography. The common diameter has created a lot of harmony in the letters.Circular compositions create symmetry and divide pages into two parts. The arrangement of words on both sides of the circle has created a different, symmetrical and beautiful composition. The similar structure of the letters makes the script strong and stable. As a result of grading pages, each page is divided into several parts, each of which has its own different texture. Fluent visual reading and understanding of the written message is easily possible. At the same time, the compositions are very innovative and unconventional, which is rare in its time. Dynamic, visual appeal, formal harmony and flexible grading have made this manuscript distinctive in terms of graphics and typography. Therefore, the al-Diryâq of the National Library of France is considered as an excellent example of typography in the history of Iranian calligraphy among Its contemporary and later manuscripts. Also, this manuscript, while respecting the principles of typography, has creative deconstructions in the composition, which distinguishes it in the history of Iranian manuscripts and shows that it has the ability to influence contemporary graphic design and can be a source of inspiration for many graphic works, especially typography.Table No. 1 deals with the study and analysis of the graphical aspects of the Kufic script of the al-Diryâq manuscript of the National Library of France, as an excellent example of typography in the history of Iranian calligraphy. Table 1: The study of the Kufic script of the al-Diryâq in the National Library of France, as an excellent example of typography in the history of Iranian calligraphy