Kufic patterns (and a side of baraka)
Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on November 01, 1999 at 19:41:08:
I found several classic calligraphies in kufic script, and some
provenance for using them for henna.
Reason, and appropriateness, to use these in henna is: There was a
fashion, from the 9th to 13th centuries from Spain to Kashan, Persia,
for doing calligraphy as an adornment, in henna, perfume, and
embroidery. The "love girls", "singing girls", and "love boys"
(contemporary equivalent, high class escort service or the very, very
finest strippers) who were poets, musicians and performers, did some
of the most exquisite body art of the time. This included writing
"love words" or love poetry across their cheeks, foreheads, backs of
hands or breasts in a dark (inky) perfume made of ambergris and
myrrh, or henna, or harquus. Writing this calligraphy on a body was
a very cool sort of foreplay. It also was makeup for performance, or
occasionally a major statement to all observers. This genre included
embroidering poetry and significant things on sleeves and headbands.
Some of the more glorious calligraphies written by these women
were:
(on the sleeves of) Wallada, a Spanish Poetess from about 1050:
(right sleeve) "By God I am fit for important things
And go my way armed with pride."
(left sleeve)
"My lover I offer the curve of my cheek
And my kiss, to whomever desires it."
Also, from one of the singing girls of Harun ar-Rashid, who was deeply
pissed that she'd just been dumped, embroidered on her headband:
"Tyrant, you were cruel to me in love
May God judge what happened between us."
both taken from "Women in Islam, from Medieval to Modern Times" by
Wiebeke Walther, Markus Weiner Publishers, Princeton, 1995.
There are several miniatures that show henna calligraphy on feet,
ankles, hands, and harquus on foreheads and cheeks from this period,
but most are way too tiny to reconstruct a translation. So....
I've found and formatted a few of these calligraphies that are
nothopelessly brain-crampingly difficult to copy in henna.....
comprehensive happiness, baraka (blessing), happiness, sovreignty, (a
guy thing?) glory and sublimity ... email if you want 'em. They are
all 9th to 15th centuries, Spain and Persia, with mega-provenance for
SCA people.
One of such is on my website (link below) (history section) and in the
henna page historical henna: the Persian lady with the henna on her
ankle....
- Re: Kufic patterns (and a side of baraka) Kenzi 23:09:23 11/01/99
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