Sheikh HAMDULLAH: (1436 - 1520)

The great master of calligraphy Sheikh Hamdullah was born in Amasya in 840 H. He founded his own individual school of calligraphy and was generally known as “Kible-tül Kuttab”(paragon) of Turkish calligraphersIn the section dealing with the history of calligraphy we have already mentioned how he came to Istanbul and was appointed teacher of calligraphy in the Palace’s school by Sultan Bayezid II. Here we shall confine ourselves to a brief account of the great changes he brought about in the art of calligraphy.Sheikh Hamdullah developed the Thuluth and Naskhi scripts, which have survived with very little change to the present day, from the Muhakkak and Tevki scripts, which up to that time had been written in the style of Yakut. He devoted his whole life to the art of calligraphy, producing forty-seven Qur’ans and innumerable En’ams, Evrads and Cuz. Topkapi Saray Museum contains two exquisite copies of the Qur’an.This great master of calligraphy died in 926 H. and was buried in the cemetery of Karacaahmet.

Calligraphy by Sheikh Hamdullah Efendi