Arabic is write from right to left, similar to other Semitic script, plus consists of 17 characters, which, with the addition of dots placed above or underneath certain of them, provide the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet.

Short vowels are not included in the alphabet, being indicated by signs placed above or below the consonant or long vowel that they follow. Certain characters may well be joined to their neighbors, others to the preceding one just, and others to the succeeding one only. The written lettering undergoes a slight external change according to their position within a word.

When they stand alone or occur at the end of a speech, they ordinarily terminate in a bold stroke; when they appear in the middle of a word, they are ordinarily connected to the letter following by a little, upward curved stroke. With the exception of six letters, which can be joined only to the preceding ones, the initial and medial letters are much abbreviated, while the final form consists of the initial form by means of a triumphant flourish. The essential part of the characters, however, remains unchanged.

These features, as well as the fact that there are no capital forms of letters, give the Arabic script its particular character. A line of Arabic suggests an urgent progress of the characters from right to left. The nice balance between the vertical shafts above plus the open curves below the middle register induces a sense of harmony. The peculiarity that certain letters cannot be joined to their neighbors provides articulation. For writing, the Arabic calligrapher employs a reed pen (qalam) with the working point cut on a point of view. This feature produces a thick down stroke plus a slight upstroke with time without end of gradation in between. The line traced by a skilled calligrapher is a true marvel of fluidity plus sensitive inflection, communicating the very action of the master’s hplus.

Arabic calligraphy, as a result, is the art of beautiful or elegant hpluswriting as exhibited by the correct formation of characters, the ordering of the various parts, plus harmony of proportions.

In the Islamic world, calligraphy has traditionally been held in high regard. The high regard accorded to the copying of the Quran, plus the aesthetic energy so as to be devoted to it, raised Arabic calligraphy to the status of an art. Arabic calligraphy, unlike to of most cultures, influenced the style of monumental inscription. It is revered as greatly as painting.

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