Saudia partners celebrates ‘Year of Arabic Calligraphy’

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has joined hands with the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the ‘Year of Arabic Calligraphy,’ by adorning two of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with a special livery marking the initiative.

 

Saudia partners celebrates ‘Year of Arabic Calligraphy’.  Image:  Saudia

Presently, the two aircraft have flown to London, Madrid, Dubai, Riyadh, and Dammam with many more scheduled international destinations to come. 

 

In addition to decorating the two Boeing aircraft with Arabic calligraphy, Saudia organised special events prior to their departures from the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, where calligraphers wrote the names of passengers in Arabic calligraphy on a boarding passes replica. Passengers were also treated to a live performance of traditional Arabic music and were presented with the coloring booklet Mandala Arabic Letter - one of the winning initiatives of the Ministry of Culture’s Arabic calligraphy competition held previously. Both aircraft also displayed introductory videos and designs on their screens to familiarize passengers with Arabic calligraphy.

 

The Year of Arabic Calligraphy initiative was launched last year by the Ministry of Culture and supported by the ‘Quality of Life’ program, one of Saudi Vision 2030 realisation programs. The initiative was extended for an additional year to include more programmes and projects that demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s support for the art. It aims to develop calligraphy as a distinct art that embodies the richness and aesthetics of the Arabic language besides highlighting the Kingdom’s role in promoting Arabic calligraphy.

 

The initiative includes various programmes and projects to emphasise the diversity of Arabic calligraphy, its role as a unifying force in the cultural heritage of the Arab world, and its links to the various fields of Arab civilisation including religion, art, architecture, education, and craftsmanship. It also aims to familiarise people with the various types of pens, inks, and scripts used for Arabic calligraphy including Thuluth, Naskh, Ruqʿah, Diwani, and Kufic scripts, as well as the various typographies and artistic forms it has evolved into in recent times.