Looking into the 'From the Heart to the Pen’ exhibition

CAIRO – 10 November 2017: The Sharjah Calligraphy Museum’s currently ongoing exhibition

“From the Heart to the Pen,”

running from October 30 until December 30, is a stunning tribute to a forgotten yet beautiful form of Islamic calligraphy.


Courtesy of Sharjah Calligraphy Museum media office

Egypt Today takes a closer look at the artwork being exhibited. The title of the exhibition arises from Ibn Al-Muqafa’a belief that successful artwork comes from the heart, and so he believed that calligraphy is something that must come from an emotional core. This exhibition is a celebration of his belief, honoring the rare Al-Muhaqqaq script.

In a statement released to Egypt Today, Sir Allen, Mansour’s assistant, remarked that “Calligraphy is a beautiful art form. It must come from the heart; otherwise it will be shallow and will fail to penetrate into the conscience of the reader.”

Through the hard work of Mansour and Sir Mark Allen, the Al-Muhaqqaq script which was once feared to be lost, is now admired and appreciated by new enquiring minds, willing to open their hearts to accept the beauty of this Islamic art form.The exhibition details the history of the script until its downfall after the death of Ahmed Karahisari, the last artist to have mastered the script, over 400 years ago.

Mansoursaid in the statement about his belief that “The art of calligraphy flows and pulses with love. It is formed by the pen in the shape of letters and set in beautiful structures and sublime meanings.”

Born in Jordan in 1967, Mansour is one of the leadingcalligraphers in the Arab world who played an important role in reviving the ancient Al-Muhaqqaq script. An associate professor of Islamic Calligraphy and Qura’nic manuscripts, Dr. Mansour lectures on Islamic history and Calligraphy at Amman.

Mansour’s assistant, Sir Allen, was born in England, 1950, and studied Arabic in the university before exploring the Arab world on his own, from Cairo to Abu Dhabi. While in Cairo during the 1970s, he was introduced to the six classical Qura'nic scripts and found them fascinating. He met Mansour in 2006, and became his pupil. Sir Allen has written various books on the topic of Middle East and Religion, including an introduction to Dr.

Mansour’s study of Al-Muhaqqaq, "Sacred Script," which was published in 2011.


Courtesy of Sharjah Calligraphy Museum media office