Reyhan or Rayḥānī ( ar, ریحان) is one of the six canonical scripts of
Perso-Arabic calligraphy. The word Reyhan means
basil
Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also ...
in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
and
Persian. Reyhan is considered a finer variant of
Muhaqqaq script, likened to flowers and leaves of basil.
Rayḥānī was developed during the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttal ...
era by
Ibn al-Bawwab. Academic studies of Rayhani have included analytical study of the technical characteristics of
Yaqut al-Musta’simi's method.
[ Nassar Mansour ''Yaqut al-Musta’simi, Analytical Study of the Technical Characteristics of his Method in Rayhani Script'', (in Arabic), 2018, Jordan Journal of History and Archaeology]
References
Arabic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy
{{Islam-stub