Gateway to a Sacred Art: Islamic Calligraphy and its hidden treasures
6-week online lecture series with Deniz Öktem Bektaş
Apr 13-May 18 (Saturdays) | 10 am- 10:45 Am ET
$45 Full course | $12 Individual Sessions
Open to everyone | Live only, no recordings
Grand Mosque of Bursa (Turkey)
Course Description
Six-week lecture series with our instructor Deniz Öktem Bektaş taking an in-depth look at Islamic calligraphy in various forms, from the history and development of the six main scripts to applications in manuscripts, mosque architecture, and other mediums.
This series is a continuation of the Scripts ‘n’ Scribes Gateway to a Sacred Art series from Spring 2023, with new content and insights.
Each talk will be followed by a writing demonstration and Q&A session.
Class Schedule:
SESSIONS 1-4: ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY AND ITS HIDDEN TREASURES
Week 1 (Apr 13)- The Development of the Main Six Scripts: We will explore Muhaqqaq, Reyhani, Thuluth, Naskh, Tawqi, Riqa(Ijazah) and learn how to recognize them as well as Diwani, Taliq, Tugra form, Riqa, and Maghribi
Week 2 (Apr 20)- The Love for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Calligraphy: We will delve into the importance of the Hilye-i Sharif in written form in Islamic calligraphy. The Hilye-i- Sharif (Noble Hilye) is a beautiful and ornate calligraphy art form that embodies the moral, spiritual, and physical descriptions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Week 3 (Apr 27)- The Grand Mosque of Bursa: We will share insights into the gorgeous Calligraphy of Bursa Ulu Mosque in Bursa, Turkey, and its History
Week 4 (May 3)- A Contemporary Calligraphy Collection: We will review Albayrak Holdings well-regarded Annual Calendars and Exhibitions from the last 10 Years featuring a wide variety of Calligraphy and Illumination
SESSIONS 5-6: REVIEW OF THE SPRING 2023 LECTURE SERIES:
A revised look at two important sessions from our previous series:
Week 5 (May 11)- Meet significant masters from the past: Inspiring stories from the lives of past calligraphers
Week 6 (May 18)- Jali Thuluth: How to read complicated Jali Thuluth compositions and the signatures of calligraphers
Classes will be held on Zoom
The sessions will not be recorded so plan to join live!
Instructor Bio
Deniz Öktem Bektaş was born in Holland in 1976. She graduated from ‘İmam-Hatip’ high-school in Istanbul in 1994. After completing her studies at the Department of English Literature at Boğaziçi University, she continued her graduate work at Georgetown University in the U.S.A. While working on her masters at the Department of Communication, Culture and Technology, she met Mohamed Zakariya with whom she started calligraphy lessons in riq’a and naskh. Coming back to Turkey at the end of 2002, she continued to take calligraphy lessons with Hasan Çelebi and Davut Bektaş in the scripts of riq’a, naskh and thuluth. In 2007, she obtained her ijaza in the naskh and thuluth scripts. She received encouragement awards in naskh at the 7th International Calligraphy Competition organized by IRCICA in 2007 and at the Calligraphy Biennial in Sharjah in 2008. In the national calligraphy competition conducted by the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey (2015), she received 3rd prize in writing several pages from the Qur’an in the script of naskh. Mrs. Öktem has participated in exhibitions in Turkey and internationally, and continues her work alongside her husband, Davut Bektaş, in their studio in Istanbul.
For more information about her work, please visit her website: https://www.hattatdenizbektas.com/