Turkish calligraphy

The art of Turkish calligraphy dates back to the seventh century. The Ottoman Turks migrated from Central Asia to establish an empire in Anatolia by 1299, and conquered Constantinople in 1453. The Ottoman Empire became a major European power. After the fall of the Mamluk Sultanate (1517), the Ottomans began to exert great influence over Islamic art and placed great emphasis on calligraphy. They collaborated with Egyptian and Persian calligraphers, adopting the naskh and thuluth scripts.

While other traditional Turkish art forms declined due to the influence of European techniques, styles, tastes, and imports, calligraphy has continued to flourish in Turkey until the present day. In 1928, the Arabic script was replaced with an altered version of the Latin alphabet in the Turkish Republic. However, with assistance from the Centre for Islamic Art and Culture IRCICA in Istanbul, new generations of Turkish calligraphers have continued to emerge. These include Ahmed Kâmil Akdik (1861–1941), Ismail Hakki Altunbezer (1873–1946), and Necmeddin Okyay (1883–1976).