re: #97 CuriousLurker

Yeah, even people who can read & write Arabic can’t read it, especially the really elaborate stuff. The only people I’ve met who can are those that have studied calligraphy some. Even then, some of it would require a professional calligrapher to decipher.

Along with the repeating geometric patterns & stylized arabesques of things from nature, calligraphy & manuscript illumination are at the top of my list of favorite things. I love any kind of calligraphy—Western, Asian, Islamic, you name it.

I used to do calligraphy. Practiced several styles. Learned how to improvise and create my own styles. Would use if on survey drawings for the street names.