Arabic · Thuluth
Arabic calligraphy in wood: Thuluth marquetry
Arabic letters cut from wood and inlaid by hand. The first piece is a short prayer: Allahumma ihdini, “O Allah, guide me.”
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي
Allahumma ihdini
“O Allah, guide me.”
Arabic calligraphy in inlaid wood. Unique piece.
- Size49 × 49 cm
- TypeUnique piece, inlaid wood
- Versions2
The same composition twice: once with dark letters on a light field, once with light letters on a dark one. An inlaid arabesque border runs around the inscription.
What drew me to Arabic script
I like beauty, and I like precision. I like making things with my own hands, and I like things that carry a deeper meaning.
Calligraphy in inlaid wood gives me all of that, and Arabic script most of all: every letter has to be cut exactly, the words mean something, and the finished piece will still be there after me. And the work itself brings me peace and calm.
Thuluth, briefly
I am not an expert in Arabic calligraphy. This is what I learned while studying the letters I cut.
Thuluth (ثلث) means “one third”; why it carries that name is explained in different ways. It is one of the six classical scripts of Arabic calligraphy, which took shape in Abbasid Baghdad. Ibn Muqla is credited with its rules of proportion, Ibn al-Bawwab and Yaqut al-Mustaʿsimi refined them, and Ottoman masters in Istanbul shaped how Thuluth looks today.
Thuluth has tall verticals and deep, sweeping curves. Letters may stand on top of each other and interlace, which is why it is used for headings, inscriptions and dense compositions, like the one above on a square panel.
Vowel marks and small ornaments fill the spaces between. In wood, each of those small marks is a separate inlaid piece.
Planned pieces
These subjects are planned. When a piece is finished, a photo of it goes here.
Allah · الله
The name of God, as a single composition on a panel.
Bismillah · بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Bismillāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Your name
A name or a word in Arabic script, as a gift for a wedding, a birth, or for Ramadan and Eid.
Your name in Arabic
Would you like a name, a word or a short verse in wood? Here is how to ask for one.