Hamid Aytaç (pronounced Aytach) (b. 1891,

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

– d. 18 May 1982) was an Islamic calligrapher born during Ottoman times. In his later life, he was acknowledged as the Islamic world's leading

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

and was one of the last of the classical calligraphers.

Life and career

Born Sheikh Musa Azmi, in 1891 in Diyarbakır, his paternal great-grandfather was the calligrapher Adem-i Amidi. In international circles, he is also known as Hamid Al Amidi. Some of his works may be found to be signed as Azmi. He is known by the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Hamid."Hamid Aytac zmi, Musa; al-Amidi, Hamid(1891-1982)", ''Journal of Ottoman Calligraphy''
Hamid Aytac (Azmi, Musa; al-Amidi, Hamid) (1891-1982)
/ref> Hamid learned the jali-thuluth ( Turkish: celi-sülüs) style from Mehmed Nazif (1846–1913), the naskh and

thuluth ''Thuluth'' (, ' or , '; , ''Sols''; Turkish: ''Sülüs'', from ' "one-third") is an Arabic script variety of Islamic calligraphy. The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique lines. In ''Thuluth'', ...

styles from Kamil Akdik (1862–1941) and the ta'liq style from Mehmed Hulusi (1869–1940). He was one of the final links in the strict master-student system that had been in operation in an unbroken line for 500 years. He worked at the Harb School, for the Customs House in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and he briefly worked for the German Map Department in Berlin. Following the war, he opened his own commercial studio in Istanbul which he After the named ''Hattat Hamid Yazıevi''. He was the first calligrapher to bring the techniques of

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...

, embossing and luxury printing to the Turkish

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...

. In the tradition of the great calligrapher Ali bin Hilal known as Ibn al-Bawwab, Aytaç was acknowledged as the leading calligrapher by the Arab world, and when he passed the age of 90 years, the mantle was passed onto his former student, Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi, who would the last of the classical calligraphers. In handing over the role of leading calligrapher, Aytaç, in a clear reference to the importance of the medieval Baghdad School, said of al-Baghdadi, "the line grew up in Baghdad and ended there. He died on 18 May, 1982 and was buried in the Karacaahmet Cemetery of

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district,

. He was the last of the Ottoman calligraphers.Eriş, M.N. (ed.), ''Hat Sanatında Vazifeli Bir Hattat: Hamid Aytaç'', calligrapher on duty in art of calligraphy: Hamid Aytaç Istanbul, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, 2011

Work

His works are on display in many countries including

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. His works are also on display in many newly built

mosques A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

. Some of his notable students include Hasan Çelebi, Fuat Bașar, Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi an
Hüseyin Kutlu

References

External links

Klasik Hüsn-i Hat Eserlerinden Örnekler

Hamid Aytaç

'hamit aytaç' ile ilgili yazılar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aytac, Hamid 1891 births 1982 deaths Calligraphers from the Ottoman Empire Islamic calligraphy Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery

Life and career

Work

See also

References

External links