Traditional
The calligraphy pieces in this section tend to be sacred texts taken from the Qur'an (Muslim holy book) or Hadith (sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, recorded by his Companions).
They are written in Arabic (unless otherwise stated), using traditional techniques and specialised materials such as the reed pen. I use hand-dyed paper derived from natural sources such as onion-skin. The paper has also been treated; first it is primed with a layer of starch followed by several coats of ahar which is a liquid varnish made from egg whites mixed with alum. Finally, the coated papers are burnished using an agate stone and then left to age for approximately a year before being used.
Some of the pieces have been stretched and mounted using starch glue onto four to five layers of acid free paper creating a board. This method known as murakka , helps to keep the calligraphy pieces flat and ensures their durability.