Arabic Calligraphy Makes It To UNESCO List After Saudi-Led Push
Arabic calligraphy is so delicate, unique and beautiful that it’s honestly surprising that it only made it to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list now and it’s all thanks to a Saudi-led effort according to The Art Newspaper.
Arabic calligraphy was among 39 new entrants to the list including the likes of Bahrain’s Fjiri and Morocco’s Tbourida.
🔴 BREAKING
New inscription on the #IntangibleHeritage list: Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices.
Congratulations 🇸🇦 – 🇩🇿 – 🇧🇭 – 🇪🇬 – 🇮🇶 – 🇯🇴 – 🇰🇼 – 🇱🇧 – 🇲🇷 – 🇲🇦 – 🇴🇲 – 🇵🇸 – 🇸🇩 – 🇹🇳 – 🇦🇪 – 🇾🇪! 👏
ℹ️ https://t.co/Gth22Prdqm #LivingHeritage pic.twitter.com/jayJ86Tnfk
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳😷 (@UNESCO) December 14, 2021
In an initiative led by Saudi Arabia, 16 Arabic-speaking nations advocated for Arabic calligraphy to be included.
The Saudi government had earlier designated 2020 and 2021 as the “Year of Arabic Calligraphy,” with an exhibition at Riyadh’s National Museum examining the link between calligraphy, modern design and artificial intelligence.
For centuries #ArabicCalligraphy, now inscribed on @UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage following efforts led by #SaudiArabia, has been central to Arab culture with artists incorporating it formats such as building facades, sculptures and graffiti, or ‘calligraffiti.’ pic.twitter.com/AE3iYmqGjV
— Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture (@mocsaudi_en) December 14, 2021
Saudi Arabia is also building a huge center for Arabic calligraphy in Madinah called the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy that will further promote the art. Recently, Saudi Arabia has started issuing citizenship to foreigners with distinguished talents and one of the first to receive it was a calligrapher. That’s how much importance Saudi Arabia is giving to calligraphy and they’ve just reaped the results of their efforts.
