Hüsn-i hat or Hüsn-i calligraphy is a centuries-old system of writing Arabic letters in a measured and proportionate manner while considering certain aesthetic properties. The word "calligraphy", which means "to write and draw", also means "spiritual engineering performed with physical tools".
After the Seljuks and the Turks started developing this art in the 11th century, it reached its peak during the Ottoman period. One of the important characteristics of Ottoman calligraphy school was learning to use the pen, mastering the art, and developing the strength and power needed to arrange the letters.
Istanbul soon became the major center of calligraphy. For centuries, the best calligraphers had come from Istanbul, and students had come from around the world to study calligraphy. A calligraphy school was established after the conquest of Istanbul called the Palace Nakkaşhânesi.
During the Ottoman period, the art of calligraphy took the highest level. The sultans were especially pleased and gave special compliments to the sultans. This art of calligraphy ceased to be "Arabic calligraphy" and gained a national identity thanks to Sheikh Hamdullah, who was considered a genius of calligraphy.
The works that came from here spread throughout all madrasahs, dervish lodges, schools, and mosques. Traditional tools include Hüsn-i hat paper, which is glazed with organic substances, a reed pen, a penknife, a slab to trim the reed pen, an inkwell, and a special type of ink, and a pen case.
Hüsn-i hat writers are known as hattats, and they pass on their knowledge, crafts skills, and values through apprenticeships. This art can be written either on leather or on paper. Other materials that may be used include stone, marble, glass, and wood. When performing the art of calligraphy, the calligrapher must first decide what beautiful words or sentences to write. He then combines this with his own imagination. Since this requires knowledge, experience, and creativity, not everyone can perform this art.
Many different styles of Hüsn-i hat were used in the past. Specifically in Islam, Hüsn-i hat is regarded as a means of not only writing the Koran but of depicting the ideas that were being written visually. Turkish calligraphy continued to shine during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Koran and hadiths (statements of the Prophet Muhammad), as well as poetry, were traditionally written in this style. The Hüsn-i hat, however, ceased to be a common art with the switch to the Latin alphabet in 1928. It has now become a traditional art, as it is still used today in mosques, Turkish baths, and temples.