Dr. Mohamed Hassan Scholar of Arabic & Islamic Calligraphy and Manuscripts
Calligraphy is the conscience of Arab-Islamic civilization

Courses & Lectures

Academic programs and proposals offered by Dr. Mohamed Hassan to universities, research centers, and cultural institutions.

Course

Introduction to the Scripts of Islamic Manuscripts & Documents

A theoretical and practical course introducing researchers to the methods of reading and dating the scripts of Islamic manuscripts and documents.

Audience

Postgraduate students in history and archaeology, and heritage researchers.

Format

18 credit hours · 10 lectures over 5 days · minimum 15 researchers · theory + hands-on reading workshops.

Topics
  • Research methods: paleography, diplomatics, codicology, epigraphy, and calligraphy.
  • Quran transcription and the early Hijazi and Meccan scripts.
  • Tombstone inscriptions, the “hard” scripts, and Islamic papyri.
  • Abbasid Quran scripts, and Mamluk manuscripts and documents with the Six Pens.
  • Scholars' hands, Arab-Islamic architecture, and the geography of scripts (Maghreb, Africa, Persia, Ottoman).
Lecture series

Lectures on the History of Arabic Calligraphy through Manuscripts

A series of seven methodical lectures, each combining presentation, practical drill, terminology, and sources.

Format

7 lectures · presentation + practical drill + terminology + sources.

Topics
  • The history and origins of Arabic writing.
  • Kufic and the “dry” scripts, and the early Qurʼans.
  • The cursive “warraqin” scripts and the Six Pens (Ibn Muqla, Ibn al-Bawwab, Yaqut).
  • Topics: paleography, epigraphy, calligraphy, codicology, and diplomatics.
  • The Maghrebi and African scripts.
  • The Persian scripts.
  • The Ottoman scripts in architecture, manuscripts, and documents.
Academic vision

A Vision for Teaching Arabic Calligraphy

A vision premised on calligraphy as “the conscience of Arab-Islamic civilization” — not mere letter-drawing — addressing the challenges of teaching it through three axes of solutions.

Topics
  • Challenges: the absence of a dedicated department, fragmented and repetitive curricula, and over-reliance on Orientalist output.
  • Localizing knowledge and building a specialized library.
  • A translation program.
  • Building a rigorous Arab academic approach.

Public lectures

Lectures delivered by Dr. Mohamed Hassan at cultural and academic institutions around the world.

  1. South Africa · Awqaf South Africa

    Texts of the Prophet's Birthday Celebrations in Modern and Contemporary Egypt

  2. Dubai · Juma Al Majid Center

    How Does Paleography Reveal the Past of Arab and Islamic Civilization?

    Watch the lecture
  3. Fujairah · Fujairah Arabic Calligraphy School

    Hidden Aesthetics… A Critical History of the Aesthetics of Arabic Calligraphy

    Watch the lecture
  4. Sharjah · Sharjah Department of Culture & Information

    The Heritage of the Arab School of Arabic Calligraphy and its Artistic and Civilizational Contribution

    Watch the lecture Press coverage
  5. Riyadh · Saudi Ministry of Culture

    The Evolution of Inscriptions and Script in the Arab World

    Watch the lecture
  6. Jeddah · Saudi Ministry of Culture

    Teaching Arabic Calligraphy between Tradition and Modernity (the Exemplars of the Egyptian School for Improving Scripts as a Case Study)

  7. Qatar · Qatar National Library

    Paleography and the Scripts of Arabic Manuscripts

    Watch the lecture
  8. Cairo · Type Lab, The American University in Cairo

    A Dialogue on the History of Teaching Arabic Calligraphy to Children

    Watch the lecture
  9. Alexandria · Bibliotheca Alexandrina

    Copying and Copyists in 19th-Century Egypt: Abd al-Khaliq Haqqi as a Case Study

  10. Dubai · Dubai Center for Arabic Calligraphy Art

    A Series of Lectures on the Art of Arabic Calligraphy

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