On 8–10 July 2019 different intellectual platforms of Moscow hosted lectures and workshops on Iranian calligraphy conducted by Naser Tawoosi, one of the leading global experts in Iranian calligraphy. The events were organized with the support of the Ibn Sina Foundation.

The events were held in the Russian State Library and the Higher School of Economics. During the lectures Mr Tawoosi familiarized the audience with the history of calligraphy – from the very basic scripts to the exquisite forms. According to master Tawoosi, in the beginning writing had nothing but utilitarian function, that is registering information using characters. The transition from primitive scripts to calligraphic art happened due to the emergence of sacred texts that required special treatment. The history of the Arabic script development, which can be traced in the evolution of different scripts used for writing the verses of the Qur’an, is quite telling in this regard. Mr. Tawoose illustrated this example with different versions of the thuluth script.

The workshop participants found out how qalam and paper were made and what paints were used for calligraphy. They also learned how to choose the right qalam depending on the calligrapher’s goal and at what angle to hold it  for different scripts. 

Mr. Tawoosi familiarized the audience with the forgotten scripts reanimated and reintroduced by him. He also gifted his works to his colleagues from the Russian State Library and the Higher School of Economics, as well as the guests. Everyone had a chance to see a masterpiece of calligraphy being created under the qalam of the expert.

Mr. Tawoosi is a member of the Supreme association of calligraphers, PhD in Philosophy. He has complete mastery of main calligraphic hands, such as kufic, thuluth, naskh, reyhan, tawqi, ruka’a, taliq, nastaliq and others, as well as special hands of the Seljuk and Ilkhanid periods. Naser Tawoosi is not only calligrapher,  but also an academician and a restoration artist specializing in the manuscript legacy.