A photographic journey through
Egypt's calligraphic landscape.

A sumptuous guide to a phenomenon that
is simultaneously popular and increasingly
under threat.

– THE NATIONAL

In this book, we are made to experience the power
of written texts ... how they transform the public realm
into a platform for cultural and personal expression.

–Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès

SYNOPSIS

Egyptian cities and villages abound with an enormous wealth of khatt, or calligraphic script, ranging from casual scrawls and scribbles to elaborately-painted colourful murals. These historical and contemporary versions of urban lettering, varying in surface, medium and technique, adorn mosques, shop-fronts, houses, trucks, boats, schools, tuk-tuks and walls. They are records of human existence, documenting expressions of hope, fears, dreams and anxieties. Featuring beautiful and unique examples of these written expressions, Khatt is an extensive visual documentation of the found typography and calligraphy in Egypt, a calligraphy hub that possesses a rich tradition of education and production in the field. This timely volume records the traditional craftsmanship of hand-painted calligraphy, which is fast disappearing because of the digitisation of the Arabic script. Spanning cities across Egypt, and highlighting the history of Arabic script in the country, Khatt is a rich visual source-book, vital for designers, artists and enthusiasts.

Check out a sample
of the book here:

PREVIEW

CONTRIBUTORS

FOREWORD BY

Huda Smitshuijzen Abifarès, Typographer and Founding Director of Khatt Foundation

TRUCKS: A MOVING CANVAS

Noha Zayed

LANGUAGE AND MESSAGE: THE ARABIC SCRIPT IN EGYPT

Basma Hamdy

THE BRONZE INVENTOR

Interview with Eleiwa by Ahmad Hammoud

PERCEPTION

Interview with ElSeed by Basma Hamdy

SCRIPTING THE MODERN ON EVERYDAY OBJECTS

Mohamed ElShahed

SEMIOTICS: THE OTHER DIMENSION OF LETTERS AND WORDS

Muhammad El Mahdy

IN THE PRESS