The Diwani-jaly Diwani-Riq’a Mashqs By M. Halim Özyazici

The present album contains the mashqs (practice works) of Halim Efendi (1315/1898-1384/1964), one of the renowned masters of calligraphy of the twentieth century, in diwani, jaly diwani and riq’a that he wrote for his student Prof. Dr. Ali Alparslan, an eminent calligrapher and master in this field. The foreword written by Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu focuses on the activities of IRCICA in the field of calligraphy and the efforts carried out at the Centre to make this art better known all over the world.
In his introduction titled “On Diwani, jaly diwani and riq’a mashqs and calligrapher M. Halim Özyazıcı”, Prof. h.c. M. Uğur Derman first informs the readers on the evolution of the above-mentioned scripts and gives a brief account of the life and artistic endeavors of M.H. Özyazıcı. After having studied with his teacher Ferid Bey at the Calligraphers’ School from 1332/1914 onwards, M. Halim Özyazıcı accumulated further experience in diwani, jaly diwani scripts at the Imperial Council where he began to serve on duty after 1918. He wote the mashqs in diwani and jaly diwani for Ali Alparslan, who wished to learn these scripts, from 1958 onwards. These mashqs appear as the only samples written by M. Halim Özyazıcı in diwani-jaly diwani scripts because neither of these scripts was used outside the Imperial Council. Following Halim Efendi’s mashqs in the above-mentioned two scripts, the album covers his mashqs in riq’a script.