Mohammad Hossein Tabrizi ( fa, محمد حسین تبریزی) was a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

calligrapher in 16th-century

Safavid Iran Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

. Tabrizi learnt

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

from the famous

Ahmad Mashhadi Ahmad Mashhadi, also known as Mir Seyyed Ahmad, was an important Persian Nastaliq calligrapher in the 16th century. He was from Mashhad. He was also a poet and some of his original poems still exist. Biography Mashhadi learnt calligraphy art in ...

. He later became a teacher of the equally renowned

Mir Emad Hassani Mir Emad (born Emad al-Molk Qazvini Hasani ( fa, ),‎ 1554 – August 15, 1615) is perhaps the most celebrated Persian calligrapher. He was born in Qazvin, Iran. It is believed that the Nastaʿlīq style reached its highest elegance in ...

. Due to his great command in the art of calligraphy, a renowned profession in Iran, he was bestowed with the honorary title ''mihin

Ustad Ustād or ostād (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ) is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages such as Persian language, Persian, , Azerbai ...

'' ("greatest master"). His father

Mirza Shokrollah Isfahani Mirza Shokr Allah Isfahani ( fa, میرزا شکرالله اصفهانی) was a Persian statesman, who served as the chief accountant of the Safavid shah Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576), and later as the grand vizier of shah Ismail II (r. 1576–77) b ...

was the ''

mostowfi ol-Mamalek Mirza Hasan Ashtiani, commonly known by the bestowed title Mostowfi ol-Mamalek ( fa, مستوفی‌الممالک, lit=Chancellor of the Realm; 1871 – 1932) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister on six occasions from 1910 to ...

'' ("chief accountant") under Safavid Shah

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after t ...

(1524-1576), whereas he himself was vizier to Shah

Ismail I Ismail I ( fa, اسماعیل, Esmāʿīl, ; July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), also known as Shah Ismail (), was the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Safavid Iran, Iran, ruling as its King of Kings (''Shahanshah'') from 1501 to 1524. His re ...

(1501-1524). After losing favour under Ismail I, he was forced to move to

Mughal India The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, where he lived until his death. Tabrizi reportedly created inscriptions for the ''masjeds'' (mosques) and ''

khanqah A khanqah ( fa, خانقاه) or khangah ( fa, خانگاه; also transliterated as ''khankah'', ''khaneqa'', ''khanegah'' or ''khaneqah''; also Arabized ''hanegah'', ''hanikah'', ''hanekah'', ''khankan''), also known as a ribat (), is a buildin ...

s'' of

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

, but they have almost entirely been destroyed due to earthquakes that hit the city. After finishing these inscriptions, Tabrizi made the

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

and on his return solely devoted his time to copying the masterpieces of

Persian poetry Persian literature ( fa, ادبیات فارسی, Adabiyâte fârsi, ) comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources h ...

. A ''

divan A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan''). Etymology The word, recorded in English since 1586, meanin ...

'' of the Persian poet

Amir Shahi Sabzavari Amir Shahi Sabzavari (also spelled Sabzevari, Sabzawari; died 1453) was a Persian poet who flourished in 15th-century Timurid Iran. He was descended from the Sarbadars of Sabzevar. He composed a response to the opening ghazal of Hafez's ''divan ...

from Tabrizi's pen is located in the

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of the over 100 libraries within the university. The Library is a major scholarly resource for the members of the University of Cambri ...

References

{{reflist 1577 deaths 16th-century calligraphers of Safavid Iran 16th-century Iranian painters Calligraphers from Tabriz Iranian emigrants to the Mughal Empire