Midad: The public and Intimate Lives of Arabic Calligraphy.

DESCRIPTION

301 pp. of English text, profusely illustration from original manuscripts in color, biblio; index, copy new in mint condition. Since the rise of Islam in the seventh century, the art of Arabic calligraphy has been cultivated from Egypt to Iran, bust also in must of the lands between Africa and China. In these different contexts, men, but also women, Muslim and at time non-Muslim, have applied themselves to the "art of the line." as it is know in Arabic. The present book is the catalogue of an exhibition held at Dar El-Mir for Arts and Culture (Beirut), 12 April- 12 October 2017. Beautifully illustrated, it invites the reader to explore the worlds of Arabic Calligraphy, its ever-changing expressions and its meaning, from proclamations of authority in the public sphere to intimate beliefs about the power of the word.