Beginner guide · 7 min

Iranian calligraphy scripts explained

Editorial team · updated 2026-09-29

Nastaliq

The classic Persian script: flowing, slanted, with long horizontal strokes. Used for poetry.

A 'broken', faster form of nastaliq, with more linked letters. Hard to read for beginners.

Naskh is a clear, rounded script used for Qur'ans and texts. Thuluth is larger and grander, used on buildings.

An early angular script. Square kufic appears in brick and tile, turning words into geometry.

Representative photographs, not of any specific catalogued object. Sources on the credits page.