The Persians used to use the Fahlawi script, which originated in the city of Fehla, which lies between Hamdan, Asfahan, and Azerbaijan. When Persia was conquered, Persians were introduced to Arabic letters and Arabic became their official handwriting. The Arabic letters replaced the Fahlawi script and it then became known as Ta`liq (cursive) due to its cursive style and horizontal forms.
At the beginning of the third century after the Hijrah, after consolidating their position in both Persia and Iraq, the Abbasid Dynasty showed deep interest in Arabic calligraphy. They tended to write in Naskh and they decorated the letters with excessive decoration, to an extent that gave their script a particular character. The Persian script was used in the writing of literature and poetry books; whereas books of Hadith were written in Naskh.
The Persians excelled in the cursive scripts. They added ornaments and decorations that made the script unique with its beautiful inclined letters. Letters changed in length and thickness according to the taste of the artist and the thickness of the pen. Letters were unique for their accuracy and extension and they bore no formations. Persian script was used to write the titles of books and letters, and is widely used in Iran, India, and Afghanistan.
Types of Persian Script
- The Ordinary Persian: Known in our time in foreign countries as Al-Ta`liq.
- The Shikista script: This is small and very difficult to read or to write. This kind of handwriting does not follow the ordinary rules of handwriting, but has its own rules. Shiksta means “broken” in Persian and in Turkish it means “the cursive formula.” This kind of handwriting is rather an enigma, a complicated riddle. It is even hard for Arabs to decipher writings in that script; whereas in Persia, only those who have mastered it can understand it.
- Shikista Emir: This is a combination of the two types, the Ordinary and the Shikista. It is less enigmatic than the other kind. Manuscripts, texts of legislative documents, and books of literature and poetry were written in Shikista Emir and ornamented with golden decorations.
