Hüsn-i hat (Ottoman calligraphy)

The calligrapher works with a reed pen, soot ink and paper burnished with egg white. The art is learned from master to pupil: after years of practice the student receives the icazet, the calligrapher's licence.

Şeyh Hamdullah, who lived in the 15th century, is regarded as the founder of Ottoman calligraphy, followed by great masters such as Ahmed Karahisari, Hafız Osman, Mustafa Rakım and Sami Efendi. Scripts such as thuluth, naskh, ta'liq and diwani, the sultans' tughras and mosque inscriptions are its finest examples.

"Hüsn-i Hat, traditional calligraphy in Islamic art in Turkey" was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2021, and hundreds of calligraphers keep the art alive in Istanbul today.