Islamic Calligraphy Starter Sets

We have gathered the materials you actually need when beginning hüsn-i hat into a small number of complete sets, built at different levels of content so there is one that fits both your requirements and your budget.

What you need at the start

Four things matter first: a reed pen (kamis) to write with, soot ink, paper to practise on, and a mesk copybook to work from. That is genuinely the whole list for a beginner.

After that come the tools for maintaining the pen — a calligraphy knife or blade for cutting the reed, and a makta to hold it steady at the correct angle while you cut. In practice most beginners have a teacher who handles this stage for them at first. A hand rest and writing board make longer sessions more comfortable, and a pen case keeps your reeds from chipping between sessions.

Naskh and thuluth

Karin produces two starter sets, one for naskh and one for thuluth, which between them have introduced a great many people to this art. Which you choose depends on the script your teacher starts you on — naskh is the usual entry point.

Each set contains the reed pen, soot ink, matt coated paper, hokka, lika and makta appropriate to its level, packed together and ready to use.