Monuments
An investigation of the Kufic form would be incomplete without a discussion of some of the monuments it adorned. Indeed, the Kufic style, as anyone who has seen it can tell, is perfect for stone inscriptions – its simplistic, angular, and overall lapidary nature make it so.
The Dome of the Rock, the most famous of early Islamic buildings, and thereby a prime object for our study, was constructed under the auspices of Umayyad ruler Adb al-Malik over a period of many years, ending in 692. Upon initial completion of the building, a commemoratory Kufic inscription was left inside. While many other inscriptions and decorations have been added over the years, it is to these first inscriptions that we now turn (1). The image on the left, taken from inside the Dome of the Rock, centers on a complex mosaic. Above the mosaic, however, we find our early Kufic text (2). This text, itself in the form of a mosaic, predates all other Kufic objects in the exhibit, suggesting a monument-based origin to the Kufic style itself.
While the Dome of the Rock lies in Jerusalem, which was fairly close to the heart of the Islamic world (especially under early Umayyad rule), the great mosque of Cordoba finds itself in remote Spain. Nevertheless, it contains Kufic inscriptions. In the image on the left we see three layers of Kufic text, two of which are rectangular, and one of which is circular. The inscription, once again, is a mosaic. This particular version of Kufic seems to retain the nearly-geometric, lapidary style seen in the Dome of the Rock, but places far more emphasis on vertical rather than horizontal elongation of the letters. Given the design of this piece, such a style succeeded in creating remarkably dense perimeters of text. Note that this text would have been highly visible. The image on the right shows the mihrab of the mosque, i.e. the Mecca-ward wall that people would face while praying (3).
(1) "The Arabic Islamic Inscriptions On The Dome Of The Rock In Jerusalem, 72 AH / 692 CE." Islamic Awareness. Islamic Awarenesss, 12 Nov. 2005. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
(2) Botchkareva, Ana. "The Dome of the Rock." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 22 June 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
(3) Fetiveau, Thierry. "Treasures from Al-Andalus – the Type Designer’s Perspective on Arabic Calligraphy." SquareKufic. N.p., 20 July 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.