Thuluth script · Islam Museum

Depth

At a glance

Region: Global / Diaspora

Summary

Thuluth is one of the six pens canonised by Ibn Muqla, forming a large–small pair with naskh. Maryam Ekhtiar notes that with muhaqqaq it suited large Qur'ans, and that it was frequently used to decorate portable objects and architectural surfaces. ¹

Examples

A calligraphic folio by Zayn al-Abidin ibn Muhammad al-Shirazi, Shiraz, 888 AH/1483 CE, combines naskh, thuluth and tawqi' (Ashmolean Museum). ² In an album by Shaykh Hamdullah, Istanbul, about 1500, a large thuluth (Turkish sülüs) above sits over a minute naskh, framed by marbled (ebru) borders, for a balanced composition. ³ The author describes Hamdullah as a follower of Yaqut al-Musta'simi and royal scribe in the imperial atelier of Bayezid II. ³

Connections

Explore the connections

Exemplified by: Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi· Mustafa Rakim

People and things also explored

Istanbul· Hafiz Osman· Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi· Mustafa Rakim· Abbasid tin-glazed ware· Ahmadnagar painting· Proportional script and the six pens (al-aqlam al-sitta)· Arabesque

Sources

Maryam D. Ekhtiar, How to Read Islamic Calligraphy (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018) , p. 25
Maryam D. Ekhtiar, How to Read Islamic Calligraphy (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018) , p. 26
Maryam D. Ekhtiar, How to Read Islamic Calligraphy (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018) , p. 42

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Thuluth script”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/thuluth-script/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-04.

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City formerly known as Constantinople, conquered by Mehmed II in 1453 and capital of the Ottoman Empire.