Arabic calligraphy to be inscribed on Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), has decided to inscribe the “Arts of Arabic calligraphy: skills, knowledge and practices” on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A joint Arab nomination submitted in 2020 will be presented at the ICH’s 16th session that will be held online from December 13 to 18, 2021. It was filed by 16 countries, namely Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania, the Sultanate of Oman, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Kuwait, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Tunisia presented the Tunisian school of calligraphy, notably the Kairouan calligraphy, said Ghazi GherairiTunisia’s ambassador and permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF).

The practice is defined by the ICH as «the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty.»

UNESCO’s decision to include the arts of Arabic calligraphy in its heritage will have a positive impact on its preservation, conservation and enhancement.

 

Source: Tap News Agency