Nastaliq |
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Type | |
Direction | Right-to-left |
ISO 15924 | Aran, 161 |
Nastaʿlīq (Persian: نستعلیق, from نسخ Naskh and تعلیق Taʿlīq; also anglicized as Nastaleeq) is one of the main calligraphic hands used in writing the Persian script, and traditionally the predominant style in Persian calligraphy. It was developed in Iran in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is sometimes used to write Arabic-language text (where it is known as Taʿliq or Persian and is mainly used for titles and headings), but its use has always been more popular in the Persian, Turkic and Urdu sphere of influence. Nastaʿlīq has extensively been (and still is) practised in Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and other countries for written poetry and as a form of art.
A less elaborate version of Nastaʿlīq serves as the preferred style for writing the Kashmiri, Punjabi and Urdu, and it is often used alongside Naskh for Pashto. In Persian it is used for poetry only. Nastaʿlīq was historically used for writing Ottoman Turkish, where it was known as tâlik (not to be confused with a totally different Persian style, also called taʿlīq; to distinguish the two, Ottomans referred to the latter as taʿlīq-i qadim, "old taʿlīq").