TEHRAN—A rarely seen calligraphic work created by Mir Emad, who is one of the most celebrated Persian calligraphers of all time, has been put on show at the UNESCO-designed Golestan Palace in downtown Tehran.

Born Emad al-Molk Qazvini Hasani in Qazvin in 1554, Mir Emad was a talented Nasta'liq calligrapher who studied science and calligraphy in his hometown before traveling to Tabriz, the Hejaz, and various parts of the Ottoman Empire. Later, he returned to Iran and began working in the court of Shah Abbas I.

Mir Emad was known for his spirituality and mysticism, and this brought him to the attention of Shah Abbas. But then some envious people ruined his reputation in the court. As a result of this, he withdrew from the court to maintain his dignity.

Shah Abbas later ordered the coppersmith Maqsoud Beig to kill Mir Emad. He was buried in the Maqsoud Beig Mosque in Isfahan by Mirza Aboutorab, who was one of his students.

It is widely believed that no one has been able to rival Mir Emad in the Nasta'liq style of calligraphy over the past four centuries. In fact, his calligraphy has been a model for calligraphers for later periods.

Nasta’liq is one of the main calligraphic hands used to write the Perso-Arabic script. The curvy script was initially developed in Iran from Naskh beginning in the 13th century and remains very widely used in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and other countries for written poetry and as a form of art.

AFM