Arabic calligraphy recognised by UNESCO
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">UNESCO has added Arabic calligraphy to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, after receiving a proposal from 16 Arabic speaking countries. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The proposal was led by Saudi Arabia, which declared 2020 and 2021 as the “Year of Arabic Calligraphy”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a statement published by the government of Saudi Arabia, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the country’s Minister of Culture, said, “We welcome the inscription of Arabic calligraphy, which is the result of the Kingdom championing this treasured aspect of authentic Arabic culture.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A statement from UNESCO describes the art of Arabic calligraphy as “the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Calligraphy was originally invented to improve the legibility of Arabic script, and later became a more expressive way for artists to create unique motifs. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The form has continued to evolve as artists have used different media to create the calligraphy, including honey, black soot, saffron, and even spray paint.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As opposed to physical sites that are granted UNESCO World Heritage status, intangible cultural heritage applied to precious cultural practices. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other heritage practices such as games, hunting practices, dances, culinary treasures and dialects have also been recognised by UNESCO in the past.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>
