A Historical–Comparative Study of the Arabic Script Evolution from Nabataean Origins to Islamic Calligraphy

Abstract

The Arabic language is one of the most powerful scripts in the history of humanity, a product of centuries of language, culture, and religion. It offers valuable insights into the evolution of writing systems not only in the ancient Near East but also in the Islamic world. The study adopted qualitative historical–comparative methodology to explore the history of Arabic script. Epigraphic Nabataean texts, early copies of the Qur'ān, and authoritative historical texts were used to study variation in letter morphology, orthographic conventions, and writing practices throughout the historical eras. Comparative analysis showed that the Arabic script gradually developed from the Aramaic writing tradition in the course of time, and then reached a more standardized orthographic system during the early Islamic era under the influence of the Nabataean script. The results also revealed that the preservation and transmission of the Qur'ān was a major factor in establishing uniform writing conventions, improving the forms of the letters, and popularising the use of the Arabic script in the growing Islamic civilization. Also, the Arabic calligraphy gave a new dimension to the script, making it a fine art tradition including the styles of Kufic, Naskh, and Thuluth. The interdisciplinary approach of the study (historical linguistics, epigraphy, paleography, manuscript studies, and Islamic cultural history) is the novelty of this study, as it allows for a comprehensive reconstruction of the development of the Arabic script. The study is a step towards a better understanding of the historical processes that led to the development of the Arabic writing system and provides a systematic framework for future research into the development and survival of ancient writing systems.