KuficDescribed only — this script needs its own font
An early, angular script used for the first Quran manuscripts and for inscriptions on buildings. Named after Kufa.
Art & architecture
Calligraphy, patterns, landmarks, manuscriptsCalligraphy scripts
NaskhShown in a similar font
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
A clear, rounded script that became the standard for copying the Quran and books — most printed Arabic today descends from it.
ThuluthDescribed only — this script needs its own font
A large, elegant script with tall letters and sweeping curves, used for mosque inscriptions and surah headings.
DiwaniDescribed only — this script needs its own font
A flowing Ottoman chancery script with tightly interlaced letters, used for official decrees.
NastaʿliqShown in a similar font
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
A sloping, hanging script developed in Persia; it is the standard style for Urdu and Persian.
Geometric patterns
Geometric patterns are built from a few simple rules — circles, stars and polygons repeated across a surface — suggesting order and infinity without depicting living beings.
The arabesque is a rhythmic pattern of interlacing stems, leaves and flowers that can be extended endlessly, used on wood, stone, tiles and manuscripts.
Landmarks
Dome of the Rockقبة الصخرة
Jerusalem · 691–692Built by Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik over the Rock on the Noble Sanctuary (al-Haram al-Sharif), near al-Masjid al-Aqsa; the oldest surviving major Islamic monument.
Great Mosque of Damascusالجامع الأموي
Damascus · 706–715Built by al-Walid I; famous for its mosaics and its plan, which influenced mosques for centuries.
Great Mosque of Córdobaجامع قرطبة
Córdoba · begun 785Begun by ʿAbd al-Rahman I and expanded until 987; known for its forest of double arches. Converted into a cathedral in 1236.
Great Mosque of Kairouanجامع القيروان الكبير
Kairouan · founded 670; rebuilt 836Founded by ʿUqbah ibn Nafiʿ; its present form is mainly from the Aghlabid rebuilding of the 9th century.
The Alhambraقصر الحمراء
Granada · 13th–14th centuryPalace-fortress of the Nasrid sultans, famous for its Court of the Lions, stucco and tilework.
Süleymaniye Mosqueجامع السليمانية
Istanbul · 1550–1557Built by Mimar Sinan for Süleyman the Magnificent; the centre of a complex of schools, a hospital and kitchens.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)جامع السلطان أحمد
Istanbul · 1609–1616Named for the blue İznik tiles of its interior; it has six minarets.
Shah Mosque (Imam Mosque)مسجد شاه
Isfahan · c. 1611–1629A Safavid masterpiece on Naqsh-e Jahan Square, covered in seven-colour tiles.
Taj Mahalتاج محل
Agra · c. 1632–1653The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, inlaid with Quranic calligraphy.
Badshahi Mosqueبادشاہی مسجد
Lahore · 1671–1673Built by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb; one of the largest historic mosques in South Asia.
Manuscripts
The Blue Qurʾan
Gold Kufic script on indigo-dyed parchment. Usually dated to the 9th–10th century; scholars debate whether it was made in North Africa (possibly Kairouan) or elsewhere.
The Topkapı and Samarkand (Tashkent) codices
Large early Kufic Quran manuscripts traditionally associated with Caliph ʿUthman. Most researchers date them to the late 7th–8th century; their exact dating and origin are debated.
Prepared from standard sources; pending scholar review.