The Effects of Iranian Kufic Script (Piramooz) on the Formation of «Iqlam Sethe (the Six Scripts)»

Problem Definition:

 One of the most important developments in writing in Islamic lands has been the emergence of the Six Scripts (Iqlam Sethe). The decline of the Kufic script and its replacement with the Six Scripts, as well as the wide use of these scripts, shows the claim that the emergence of these fonts was one of the biggest literary and artistic developments during the life of Islamic societies. Despite the importance and wide usage of these scripts, it should be acknowledged that sufficient research has not been done in the field of the origin and scripts influencing the formation of Iqlam Sethe. Therefore, this research aims at answering the following question: «What were the effects of the Kufic script, especially Iranian Kufic, on the formation of Iqlam Sethe?»

The current research is looking for the possible effects of the Simple Kufic and the Piramooz Kufic scripts in the creation and formation of Iqlam Sethe.

This research is done using a qualitative method. In terms of «applied» purpose and «descriptive» nature of the subject, it is of a descriptive-analytical type. The written and visual data in this research have been selected and cited using a library method and purposefully from among reliable specialized sources in the field of handwriting and calligraphy and to the extent of theoretical adequacy. The method of analyzing and adjusting the shape of the letters has also been done in four selected Simple and Piramooz Kufic scripts, as the base/origin scripts in relation to the Naskh and Thuluth as the target script.

Finally, from the shape analysis of the letters and the comparative study of the four-script single letters mentioned in 18 separate tables, this conclusion can be drawn that the Iranian Kufic script, or Piramooz, could have been a model, or at least, an intermediate link between Simple Kufic and Iqlam Sethe, because of its similarity in shape with the shape of the letters of the Iqlam Sethe.