Arabic calligraphy is one of the three cornerstones of Islamic art decoration, alongside floral patterns (arabesques) and geometric motifs.

Diwani calligraphy is a cursive style of Arabic script that was developed in the early Ottoman Empire. It became especially popular during the reign of Sultan Suleiman I in the 16th century. It was used in the Ottoman Diwan (Imperial Council) and was one of the secrets of the sultan's palace. The script was widely used in the Ottoman court for official documents and artistic writing. It adorns the tughra, a complex calligraphic seal that represented the authority of the Sultan and the Ottoman state.

During the workshop, you will learn about the use of calligraphy across different artforms, before creating a beautiful Diwani calligraphy composition based on a template design. Exposure to Arabic lettering may be useful, but it is not necessary to take part in this workshop. All materials are provided.

Age:

Suitable for adults and children aged 11+ years.

For safeguarding reasons, the accompanying adult for under 18's must remain in the building and be available and accessible throughout the session.

Tickets

To guarantee your place, please book your tickets in advance.

Standard Ticket: £15.00 (+ ticket fees)

Concessions (students, low-income, over 65s): £12.50 (+ ticket fees)

Please present proof of concessionary status with your ticket upon arrival, where applicable.

REFUND POLICY: Please note that tickets are only refunded (minus the Eventbrite admin fee) if requested more than 7 days before the event.

GIFT AID: The workshops and courses are being run to help us meet our £15K fundraising target to remain open. All proceeds will be considered as donations towards this fund. We are able to increase the value of your donation at no extra cost through Gift Aid, allowing us to claim an additional 25p for every £1 donated from eligible UK taxpayers. To support this, the registration form will ask you to provide your postcode and house number, which will help us confirm your status as a current UK taxpayer.

Please note, we can collect Gift Aid for card payments under £30 under the Small Donations Scheme without further details. However, for any individual card payments over £30, we are required to collect the address details of UK taxpayers before we can claim Gift Aid.

This workshop is being delivered as part of the 'Balsall Heath Second Saturdays' programme - a monthly mini-festival celebrating creativity, community, local culture and the arts, held on the second Saturday of every month.

Image reference: Illuminated Tughra of Sultan 'Abd al-Hamid II on an Ottoman firman (ruler's edict), 1876-1909. © MIAH Foundation.