The art of calligraphy and forming designs on ceramic tiles, with a history spanning nearly a thousand years in Herat, continues to hold a special place in the historical sites of this province, particularly on the outer walls of the Great Mosque.
Designing and writing on tiles is among the artistic features visible in Herat’s historical monuments.
This practice, which is considered part of Islamic culture and art, uses various scripts, especially Kufic script, to add an enduring aesthetic to Herat's architecture.
Ali Mohammad Sabouri, one of the most prominent artists of this practice in Herat, is 60 years old and has devoted over 40 years of his life to this craft. He writes on traditional tiles using different calligraphic styles.
Sabouri says about this art: “The art of inscription has existed since ancient times. Particularly during the Ghurid and Timurid periods, the complex Thuluth script was used in special locations.”
Herat’s calligrapher believes this art is a part of cultural identity and Islamic heritage and must be preserved and passed down to future generations. Naveed Ahmad Heravi, another practitioner, said: “This art has been passed down to us from the past and must be protected as a heritage and transmitted in the best possible way to future generations.”
Despite the long and rich history of such writing and design in Herat, only two inscription writers are currently active in the province.
Local officials are working to keep this art alive and create opportunities for its teaching to the younger generation.
“In our historical monuments, only two active practitioners remain. They repair the inscriptions you see on the Great Mosque whenever they are damaged,” Raqibullah Rezwani, the director of protection of historical monuments at the Herat Department of Information and Culture, told TOLOnews.
The art has been preserved in Herat since the Ghurid and Timurid eras and is found on the walls of the Great Mosque and other historical monuments of Herat. Despite challenges, this art remains an inseparable part of the historical and cultural identity of this city.
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