It is well known that the Arab scripts are one of the most beautiful, original and unique. Arabic itself has such an extraordinary place among world language. The Holy Quran, sent by God almighty was sent & written in Arabic.

So, what secrets lie behind this unique language and script that was given much priority and honor by the everlasting? How did the Arabic script emerge? What different kinds of script exist to the present day and how well are they being preserved, and do they still maintain their important historic place with all their beauty and glamour?

How does this ancient handicraft confront the modern technical changes of today?

These are some of the questions forwarded to one of the most prominent calligraphist in Syria, Mr. Ahmad Abdel Bari, who has been lately awarded the gold Armor at the Arab script contest held in Tehran.

* To begin, please give us a briefing on when and how did you start?
** Ever since I was a child, I was interested in this kind of art. I believe the main reason is that my school was beside the Omayyad Mosque which is well known for its glamorous different kind of scripts calligraphs among other things. As I got older, I was taught Arab calligraphy by the most famous calligraphists in Syria. I learnt all the different calligraphies and kept on practicing till it became a part of me that formed a spiritual link. I believe that my generation was the last to hold the traditional feature that were used in teaching calligraphy at that time. I also traveled to Egypt and met some of the most important calligraphist and visited the most important schools. I will also never forget the great encouragement I received from the most famous calligraphists in Baghdad, Dr. Hashim Al-Baghdadi, when he visited Damascus in 1969. For after giving me some essential guidelines I traveled to Istanbul, the capital of Arab calligraphy and met with the most famous calligraphists of the 20th century, Mr. Hamid Al-Amdi. in 1978 he instructed me on some of various Arab calligraphes, and gave me permission to brief all whom I know would appreciate these kind of instructions.

* The origin of Arab scripts and its stages of development is still an issue of debate till the present day, especially after the funding of new discoveries, what is your view of the issue?
** Indeed, scholars differ on the origin of Arab calligraphy. One team believes of the pure divine origin of the calligraphy. Another team believes that Arab calligraphy has developed out of the "Al-Masnad Calligraphy" known as the Al-Hamiri calligraphy, i.e. the southern calligraphy that reached "Bilad Al-Sham" via the trade route. The third team believes that the Arab calligraphy is no more than the development of the Al-Nabati calligraphy. The finding of ancient pre-Islamic scripts stand witness to this believe. As those found at Im Jamal, East Jordan that goes back 250 A.D. Another discovery was found in Houran, it goes back to 328 A.D at the time of the Anbat kingdom. It is actually the tomb of the famous king and poet Amroua Al-Kais. It is also believed that this script latter traveled to the Arab peninsula via trade route.

*If writing is the beginning of the emergence of the script, how do you describe the emergence of different calligraphies through Arab Islamic history?
** For 14 centuries, 14 different calligraphies emerged, 7 of these among the academics and classics are widely used. Most Arab calligraphists believe that the origin of the script is from the Al Nabati calligraphy, which origin can be traced from the Aramian script. This calligraphy developed into two main schools. The first is the "Al-Koufia, and the second is the Al-Hijazia". The Al-Koufia calligraphy is characterized by its harshness whereas the Al Hijazi is characterized by its flexibility. When the Holy Quran was written down during the Al-Rashidia calipha, the letters had no dots or punctuation whatsoever. These developed by time, including the writing down of numbers to indicate the beginning and end of each Quranic verse. During the Omayyad period, the famous calligraphist "Qutba Al Mahrir developed the main writing tools, the traditional pens, and thus, further developed Arab writings.

* What about the Arab calligraphies used today?
** There are nine main calligraphies Al Thalth, Al Nasakh, Al Koufi, Al Farisi, Al Rakau, Al Diwani, Jali Al Diwani, Al Shakasta and Al Ijaza. The prominent of all, "Head of the family" is the Al Thalth. This calligraphies needs three different pens. The first to write down the main "backbones of the letters, the second for decoration and the third to draw down the letters, i.e. put the final touches.

* Due to your long experience in Arab calligraphy, what are your views of the status of this important heritage?
**Actually, Arab calligraphy still exists in the Arab countries due to individual efforts and NGOs schools. There is almost no participation from any official sector to preserve this important art.