5th March-10th May 2016
The Kufi Exhibition held at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, 5th March to 10th May 2016, included a wide range of Arabic, Maghribi and Osmanlica (Ottoman Turkish) Kufi Qu’ranic manuscripts and examples of calligraphy with a particular focus on the how Andalusian Islamic culture influence the wider Islamic world.
The small exhibition offered a unique opportunity to visitors to see a wide range of different Kufic texts all together in Istanbul. The manuscripts trace the history and development of Kufic and wider Arabic calligraphy (Naskh and Divani), although the Maghribi script is the most represented in the exhibition.
The Kufi Exhibition, is definitely worth a visit, if you are in Istanbul before 10th May. However, if you miss the exhibition, then the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum main exhibits offer many similar unique examples of Maghribi calligraphy, including different styles of Kufic, as well as a robust chronological history of Islamic art and culture.