A GlanceTo The History Of Rayhan Script
Here we do not have enough time to speak about the advent and development of Islamic calligraphy, Iranian and Arabian as a whole; that virtually all the relevant scripts are derived from the developed form of Kufic script which is known as the most elegant and rather beautiful script of human hand-writing due to its graphical particularities. There are 10 or 12 varieties for Kufic script, one of the most eye-catching of which is Pir Amooz Kufic; the same script in which Aghigh Qur’an is written within 12 years of sweet hard works of Professor Bahram Saleki. In this copy of Holy Qur’an, Bahram Saleki has made great strides to revive and evolve the legibility and eloquence of this style of hand-writing. Only one example of Aghigh
Qur'an survives and it is placed on public display in Astan Qods Razavi library or museum. Attested by the most remarkable scientists, Aghigh Qur'an is unique and eternal as Professor Giza Fahrvari, expert in Islamic Art and Professor of Oxford University, says: “This artistic work is unique in the art of universe during this very 20 centuries.”
But about the second masterpiece of this frenzied artist, which is known as Rayhan Qur'an, it is necessary to study the Rayhan script. Due to the reasons mentioned later on in this article, this script was superseded by other scripts since the end of 10th century. A number of the most beautiful examples of Qur'an were written in this script during 4th to 6th centuries of Hijrah. During this period of time Rayhan script was the only style of hand-writing used for copying the Holy Qur'an. Many famous calligraphers like Yaqut Motassemi, Jafar Baisonqori, Baisonqor and Ebrahim Ebn Shahrokh Teimouri, Ahmad Ebn Sohravardi, Ala Beik Tabrizi and the others have benefited from this script in their eternal works.
Due to the magnificent long and extended strokes used in this script, writing Qur'an in this script takes a long period of time and needs large papers. And because of the difficulties which exist in the composition and teaching of this script, it was largely displaced by Naskh script and, in any event, Rayhan only came into glorious uses throughout the Muslim world for copying the Holy Qur'an until the present days that one of the most remarkable artists enjoying the knowledge of different Iranian arts made his utmost efforts to revive these two styles of transcriptions namely Pir Amooz and Rayhan. He has been involved in lettering and illuminating of the first Qur'an (Aghigh) for 12 years and he has spent 8 years of his life in copying the second Qur'an (Rayhan). Today, Professor Bahram Salki has won a worldwide and lasting reputation for his masterpieces in the Islamic-Iranian art. Additionally, his humility and honesty are resulted in holiness and watching Rayhan Qur'an, one cannot help wondering. To be honest, seeing some pages of this Qur'an, I understood that no example of Qur'an produced and embellished in 7-8 centuries ago can be compared to this masterpiece so that Professor Hossein Nasr, one of the commentators of knowledge and culture of Islamic Iran and Iranian Islam (as mentioned by late Courbon), about these two pearls said: “Professor Saleki has produced wonderful, precious and unique works that do not have any match or equal in the present days. These eternal masterpieces should be introduced to all over the world by every possible means and after publication, they should be distributed in all the Islamic countries and even the West.”
In conclusion, I would like to convey my deepest and sincere congratulation to all Islamic nations and art-lover nation of Iran in particular for the publication of this masterpiece, which is a collection of many remarkable arts. |
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