Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Hassan Ismail is a senior academic researcher at the Center for Studies of Writings & Calligraphy, Bibliotheca Alexandrina (since 2006), specializing in Arabic scripts, Islamic manuscripts and documents, and their history and art.https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en-UShttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/umayyad-quran-manuscripts/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/umayyad-quran-manuscripts/An academic lecture at the ISMAR center of Fatih Sultan Mehmet University in Istanbul on the Umayyad Qur'anic codices (41 to 132 AH): the development of Orientalist and contemporary studies about them, their concept and characteristics, the sciences involved in studying them (paleography, codicology, and philology), and the leading researchers and codex collections.Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/scripts-of-the-mushaf/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/scripts-of-the-mushaf/A lecture by Dr. Mohamed Hassan Ismail within the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts' 2025 courses on the manuscript codices and their codicological dimensions: the major drivers of the Qur'anic script's evolution (religious, artistic, historical), the chronological development from Hijazi to Kufic to the supple scripts, the contemporary academic schools and the clash of their methods, and controversies such as the Sana'a palimpsests and the Birmingham codex.Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/paleography-arab-islamic-civilization/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/paleography-arab-islamic-civilization/A lecture on paleography (the science of scripts and the reading of ancient texts) and its importance in uncovering the history of Arab-Islamic civilization: its definition, its levels of study, the distinction between manuscript and document, and its application to the noble Qur'anic codices.Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/critical-history-calligraphy-aesthetics/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/critical-history-calligraphy-aesthetics/A lecture on the art criticism of Arabic calligraphy: the concept of the "critical history," the methods of reading the history of script, the crisis of art criticism and its authentic sources, and the effect of intellectual mindsets (such as Sufism and Hurufism) on the calligraphic panel.Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/schools-of-arabic-calligraphy/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/schools-of-arabic-calligraphy/A lecture on the Arabic calligraphic schools: the concept of the "calligraphic school" and its classifications, the approaches to reading it, its geographical classification, and the problems of the early scripts and their discoveries (the Sana'a codices and the papyri).Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/evolution-of-inscriptions-and-script/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/evolution-of-inscriptions-and-script/A symposium within the exhibition "The Journey of Writing and Script: Paths of the Spirit" in Riyadh, tracing the evolution of Arabic script: from its Nabataean roots and origins, through the calligraphic schools and the early codices, to attributed (mansub) script, contemporary art, and its future with artificial intelligence.Sun, 11 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/paleography-arabic-manuscripts/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/paleography-arabic-manuscripts/A lecture by Dr. Mohamed Hassan Ismail at the Qatar National Library on the science of paleography in the copying of the Arabic manuscript: its nature and definition, the rigid scripts (Hijazi and Kufic), the supple scripts (Naskh, its schools, and scholars' manuscripts), and the pioneers of calligraphy and the Maghribi scripts.Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/suyuti-calligraphy/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/suyuti-calligraphy/The calligrapher Mustafa Hilmi Efendi, known as 'Hakkakzade,' author of Mizan al-Khatt, placed Imam al-Suyuti within a calligraphic lineage, yet al-Suyuti himself wrote of calligraphy in a different sense.Mon, 29 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMTMasters of Calligraphyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/amulets-paleography/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/amulets-paleography/Amulets are among the most beautiful written objects and an authentic paleographic source, where the historical, the human, the archaeological, popular piety, and sociology all intertwine.Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/abbasid-quran-mamluk-illumination/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/abbasid-quran-mamluk-illumination/One of the most beautiful Qur'ans I have worked on, copied in the late Abbasid period and illuminated in Mamluk Egypt, a manuscript that renewed my research thinking.Sun, 21 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sanglakh-ibrahim-pasha-tomb/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sanglakh-ibrahim-pasha-tomb/Sanglakh al-Khurasani, calligrapher of Muhammad Ali Pasha, wrote the tomb of Ibrahim Pasha, fusing Arabic, Ottoman, and Persian language, scripts, and ornament in a codified state art.Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMTIslamic Art Historyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/marzouk-safini-mushaf/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/marzouk-safini-mushaf/The book of Prof. Muhammad ʿAbd al-ʿAziz Marzouk (The Noble Qur'an: A Historical and Artistic Study) uniquely describes the external form of the 'Safini' Qur'an, named after the ship for its resemblance to its shape.Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/halouji-six-pillars/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/halouji-six-pillars/Prof. ʿAbd al-Sattar al-Halluji defined the fields for studying the Arabic manuscript in six pillars, from the history of the manuscript to editing and publishing.Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/mamluk-thuluth-azhar-masthead/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/mamluk-thuluth-azhar-masthead/The masthead of the noble al-Azhar magazine, designed by the calligrapher and artist Ismail Abdo, who chose the Mamluk Thuluth script as the visual language and identity of this venerable magazine.Fri, 17 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/teaching-arabic-calligraphy/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/teaching-arabic-calligraphy/A dialogue organized by the AUC Type Lab on the history and methods of teaching Arabic calligraphy: the work of the Center for Writing and Calligraphy Studies at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the methodological shift from the traditional 'mashq' system to modern pedagogical curricula, with a focus on typography and the design of educational materials for children.Mon, 02 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/romance-of-the-mushaf/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/romance-of-the-mushaf/The story of a Qur'an that Sultan Abdülhamid II gave to his wife on their marriage, opening it to choose her name from a verse: a glimpse of the human romance within every piece of art.Tue, 15 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/fatimid-kufic-tombstone/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/fatimid-kufic-tombstone/One of the finest Fatimid marble tombstones, its floriated Kufic inscription marking the height of mastery under the Fatimid state, bearing the name of Abu al-Makarim ibn Abi al-Qasim al-Misri ibn Ashur.Thu, 10 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMTIslamic Art Historyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sayed-ibrahim-arab-al-yasar/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sayed-ibrahim-arab-al-yasar/Sayed Ibrahim, dean of Arabic calligraphy and one of the foremost calligraphers of the twentieth century, was born in Cairo's Arab al-Yasar, a quarter of rich culture now subjected to systematic erasure.Wed, 03 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMTMasters of Calligraphyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/paleography-comparative-reading/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/paleography-comparative-reading/The first steps in learning to read old or uncommon scripts: comparative reading between similar texts, with Qur'anic texts as the most useful basis for comparison.Mon, 14 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/diwani-ghazlani/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/diwani-ghazlani/Specimens written in the Diwani, and the Ghazlani Diwani in particular, are rare. This artistic script is among the most distinctive features of the art of the Muhammad Ali dynasty (1805 to 1952).Tue, 03 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/islamic-paleography-early-codices/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/islamic-paleography-early-codices/A lecture by Dr. Mohamed Hassan within the 'Mushaf Course: History and Characteristics' at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, addressing the science of paleography and its knowledge tributaries, a case study of the Mamluk codex, the mindset of the calligrapher and the paleographer's tools, and François Déroche's theory of the evolution of the early codices from the Hijazi script to artistic refinement.Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/quranic-scripts-orientalist-and-arab/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/quranic-scripts-orientalist-and-arab/A lecture by Dr. Mohamed Hassan within the 'Mushaf Course: History and Characteristics' at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, offering a critical and historical view of Qur'anic paleography: the gap between the Western and Arab schools, the methodology of François Déroche, the problem of the 'geometric rule' of Qur'anic Kufic, and an analysis of the six codices attributed to ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan.Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMTCodicology & Paleographyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/uthman-mushaf/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/uthman-mushaf/The day I was honored to behold and read in the Qur'an attributed to the Rightly-Guided Caliph ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan, may God be pleased with him.Sun, 14 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/shikaste-persian-script/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/shikaste-persian-script/Shikaste, the beauty the eye never forgets and insight never misses, among the finest and most splendid manifestations of the art of Persian calligraphy.Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sayed-ibrahim-seals/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sayed-ibrahim-seals/Sayed Ibrahim, dean of Arabic calligraphy, kept a copy of every seal he designed, leaving three large volumes containing hundreds, even thousands, of seals for the most important Egyptian and Arab figures and institutions of the early twentieth century.Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMTMasters of Calligraphyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/baybars-calligrapher/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/baybars-calligrapher/It is related that when a merchant brought the young amir Badr al-Din Bilik to Sultan al-Zahir Baybars to sell him, the youth wrote a verse so apt that the sultan raised his price.Sat, 29 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMTMasters of Calligraphyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sultan-ghuri-quran/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/sultan-ghuri-quran/The most monumental, magnificent, and resplendent: the Qur'an of Sultan al-Ghuri. The Mamluk Qur'ans remain a living testament to the brilliance of the Mamluk school of Arabic calligraphy in Egypt.Sun, 02 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/mamluk-manuscript-art/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/mamluk-manuscript-art/The Mamluk manuscript and its various arts played an important role in shaping the Arab-Islamic book, and greatly influenced the output of non-Muslims who lived under the Islamic state.Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/omar-al-aqta-timur/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/omar-al-aqta-timur/ʿUmar al-Aqtaʿ presented a Qur'an so small it could fit inside a signet ring, which failed to impress Timur; so he designed an enormous Qur'an, 1.5 × 2 meters, in the Muhaqqaq script.Tue, 20 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼanshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/mahmoudia-canal-taliq/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/mahmoudia-canal-taliq/The Mahmudiyya Canal text is among the rare inscriptions of Lower Egypt, written by the military judge Yesarizade Mustafa Izzet (1849), a model of Ottoman Taʿliq, the Persian script in the Ottoman-Turkish manner.Sun, 10 Jul 2016 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ugur-derman/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ugur-derman/The biography of Professor Uğur Derman, a leading authority on Ottoman calligraphy and its history: born in Bandırma in 1935, a student of Necmeddin Okyay, art consultant at IRCICA, and author of more than 247 studies and works on the calligraphic arts.Thu, 16 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMTMasters of Calligraphyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ottoman-nastaliq/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ottoman-nastaliq/The Ottomans handled the nasta'liq, the script Egyptians call 'Persian', with great artistry. Beyond its celebrated jali form lies a less-studied story: its exclusive use in the correspondence of the Şeyhülislam.Wed, 20 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ahmad-al-kamel-manial/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ahmad-al-kamel-manial/The inscriptions of Hajj Ahmad al-Kamel, chief of calligraphers, in the mosque of Prince Mohamed Ali at the Manial Palace: a state of artistic and spiritual serenity that renders the talent of the last chief calligrapher of the Ottoman state.Sun, 21 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMTIslamic Art Historyhttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ottoman-ferman-three-scripts/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/ottoman-ferman-three-scripts/A sultanic ferman that brings together three scripts (the tughra, jali diwani, and diwani) and opens a window onto diplomatics, paleography, and the calligraphic study of Ottoman chancery documents.Wed, 20 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMTArabic Scriptshttps://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/king-fuad-mushaf-rifai/https://b1aef93d.drmhassan.pages.dev/en/articles/king-fuad-mushaf-rifai/The Mevlevi lodge, the dwelling of Sheikh ʿAbd al-ʿAziz al-Rifaʿi in the heart of Cairo, an enchanting place where the sheikh wrote and gilded the Qur'an of King Fuad in the 1920s.Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMTManuscripts & Qurʼans