Letter rules & pen simulator

A simulated reed pen: the nib keeps a fixed angle and its edge sweeps out thick and thin strokes as you change direction. Pen settings and letter skeletons are teaching approximations, labelled by status — learn a traditional style with a qualified teacher.

Foundations: the dot, the alif and the pen

النقطة · The dot
A rhombus made by pressing the full nib width; used as the unit of measure in the proportional scripts.
الألف · The alif
The reference for vertical size: other letters are measured against its height in dots, which differs by script and school.
زاوية القط · Nib cut angle
The angle of the cut edge relative to the writing baseline. It is held fixed while writing.
عرض السن · Nib width
The physical width of the edge; it sets the size of the dot and so the size of the whole letter.
سُمك الأثر · Stroke thickness
Comes from the nib angle and the direction of movement: widest when moving across the edge, a hairline when moving along it.
ميزان الحروف · Letter balance
The proportional relation between parts of a letter, expressed in dots.
الكرسي والسطر · Seat and baseline
Where a letter sits relative to the line: some rest on it, some drop below.
الاتصال والانفصال · Joining
Six letters (ا د ذ ر ز و) never connect to the next letter; all others join both sides.
التناسب والتكوين · Proportion and composition
How letters, spacing and words relate across a whole piece.

The nib angle is fixed; only the direction of movement changes. That is why one pen gives both thick and thin strokes.

Script

Small, even reed; the alif is often taught at about five dots.

Letter and form

Alif is a right-joining letter: it connects only to the letter before it. Its shape ends without a joining stroke to the left, so the next letter must start a new connected group. Verified

Pen angle and nib widthDraft

Nib angle from the baseline: 35°Nib width: 10 relative canvas units (screen not calibrated, so no mm)

Recommended: 35° (range 30–45°), commonly taught reed about 2 mm (draft value). Thickest when moving at -55°, a hairline at 35°. Vertical stroke: 8.2; flat stroke: 5.7.

Letter rule and proportionsDraft

Alif: 5 dots. This form: about 5 dots tall, 0.3 wide.

Letter dots: 0. Entry stroke: no; exit stroke: no.

Evidence for this rule

Historical treatise (quoted in a modern study) Awaiting verificationknown only through a later study
“Al-Qalqashandī quoted different calligraphers giving the values six, seven, and eight as the number of dots to compose the length of the ʾAlif.”
General values (6, 7 or 8 dots), not tied to one script. Shown as context only.
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā fī ṣināʿat al-inshāʾ, vol. III, Cairo: Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyya, vol. III pp. 28 and 47 (1922 edition), as summarised by Yaghan 2020 — via Mohammad Ali Jalal Yaghan, PLOS ONE 15(5): e0232641
Academic study Awaiting verificationread directly
“the number of dots for the ʾAlif was never agreed upon.”
Any single dot count shown here is one choice among documented disagreements.
Mohammad Ali Jalal Yaghan, Mathematical concepts in Arabic calligraphy: The proportions of the ʾAlif, PLOS ONE 15(5): e0232641, Abstract · open
Museum educational material Awaiting verificationread directly
“In a proportional script, each letter's shape is determined by a fixed number of rhombic (diamond-shaped) dots … There are six proportional scripts (the Six Pens)— naskh, thuluth, muhaqqaq, rayhani, tawqi', and riqa'.”
Supports using the dot measure for these scripts. The historical riqa' of the Six Pens is not the modern Ruq'ah, so it is not applied to Ruq'ah here.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Proportional Scripts (Art of the Islamic World, Unit Two), Educator curriculum resource, web page; also Unit 2 PDF of the Islamic teacher resource, paragraph 1 and fig. 12–13 captions · open

Still missing

No source yet for this script's nib angle or width.
No script-specific source yet for the alif height in dots.
No source yet for stroke order or letter outlines; drawings are the app's own.

Stroke order and directionDraft

Tall upright stroke

Simplified draft skeleton; this form still shares the base shape. The moving dot shows direction.

Practice path

Choose start, middle, end or alone above and trace that form (draft skeleton).

Pen engineExperimental defaults

Moderate tapers and smoothing for a small, even hand. No traditional default has been verified for any style; every value below is an editable working default.

Master-inspired profile

Thick–thin contrast: 0.95experimental defaultPressure response: 0.4experimental defaultSpeed response: 0.3experimental defaultStroke smoothing: 0.5experimental defaultStart taper (× nib width): 0.2experimental defaultEnd taper (× nib width): 0.4experimental default

Without a pressure-measuring stylus, pressure uses a neutral fallback (0.5) and has no effect. Mice and fingers never report real pressure here.

Ink

Opacity: 1Edge softness: 0Subtle ink texture (left out of SVG export)

Practice surface

Angle guide

Guide opacity: 100%Guide scale: ×1

Writing direction: right to left. Nib angle is measured counter-clockwise from the horizontal baseline, as seen on screen. With a finger, the nib preview floats just above your touch.

Calligrapher's reference

Font letter (Amiri), not a master's model.

Compare result

Trace the letter to compare.

Side by side

Manuscript specimens are linked from the evidence panel only; their images are not copied into the app.

Review this rule (editors)

Reviews are kept on this device only — not a secure multi-user approval. Verified needs a source, an exact page or folio, and a reviewer. Earlier versions are kept.

Sources and references

Joining: The Unicode Standard, ch. 9.2 Arabic, and ArabicShaping.txt (joining types)
pen: No published source recorded — provisional.Commonly quoted range 30–45°, measured from the writing baseline; teachers differ.
proportions: No published source recorded — provisional.Alif height is a commonly taught value; other sizes come from the simplified skeleton.
construction: No published source recorded — provisional.Simplified skeleton drawn for this app; the same base shape is used for every form. Not a master's model.

For sourced historical notes, see the Styles page.

Thuluth study — letterforms, pen and guided practice Original Thuluth Study — Experimental

A separate study with its own drawings and pen. It does not change the Naskh study, other scripts, the general Thuluth profile or your saved presets, and it does not reproduce any master's hand.

Original Thuluth Study — Experimental Drawn for this app for learning and practice. Not from a source or a master's hand.
Historical reference A documented statement or observation tied to an identified source, page or image.
Master-inspired experiment A study framework named after a calligrapher; it does not reproduce their hand.
Your work Your own strokes and compositions.

Letter studies

Revision 1, kept

Original Thuluth Study — Experimental

Strokes: 2 (joining connectors: 0; dots: 1).

Drawn by hand-set control points for this app (Catmull–Rom curves through them; straight segments where a deliberate corner is intended). No tracing of any manuscript or font.

Revision 2 re-attaches connectors to the letter and adds dots from the letter's Unicode data; the letter body is unchanged. Dot placement is experimental.

Sequence shown is a practice sequence, not a documented stroke order. Awaiting expert review.

Stroke endings on this drawing

Study pen

Stroke width: 18 experimental defaultNib orientation (°): 35 experimental defaultThick–thin contrast: 1 experimental defaultCurve smoothness: 0.55 experimental defaultCorner threshold (°): 60 experimental defaultEntry taper (× width): 0.80 experimental defaultExit taper (× width): 1.60 experimental defaultTaper tip width: 0.22 experimental defaultSpeed response: 0.15 experimental defaultPressure response (stylus only): 0.50 experimental defaultInk opacity: 0.95Edge softness: 0.10

Ink texture (display only)

Why these defaults, and what the engine supports

width 18 — Inherited unchanged from the Thuluth pen profile (relative units; not millimetres).
angle 35 — Inherited unchanged from the Thuluth pen profile; teachers differ.
contrast 1 — Full fixed-nib thick–thin, so direction alone sets thickness.
smoothing 0.55 — Smooths hand jitter in long curves; corners are protected separately.
cornerDeg 60 — Turns of 60° or more stay corners (e.g. the kāf head), so not every turn is rounded.
taperStart 0.8 — Gentle entry over 0.8 nib widths.
taperEnd 1.6 — Longer exit taper for sweeping endings (bowls, returned ya).
minRatio 0.22 — Finer taper tips than the general Thuluth profile.
speedResponse 0.15 — Slight thinning on fast strokes only.
pressureResponse 0.5 — Used only when a stylus measures pressure; mouse and touch use the neutral fallback (no effect).

Thick–thin contrast	supported	contrast	Blend between fixed-nib and uniform width.
Nib orientation	supported	angle	Separate control from width.
Stroke width	supported	width	Separate control from angle.
Width variation	partial	pressureResponse, speedResponse, minRatio	Pressure only with a stylus that reports it; otherwise speed and tapers.
Curve smoothness	supported	smoothing
Entry and exit tapering	supported	taperStart, taperEnd
Terminal shapes	partial	taperStart, taperEnd, minRatio	Only taper length and tip width. Hooked, flattened or split terminals are not modelled; no control is shown for them.
Curvature through direction changes	supported	cornerDeg	Turns at or above the threshold stay corners.
Stroke continuity and joins	partial	one nonzero-fill path per stroke	Seamless within a stroke. Separate strokes overlap but are not welded into one outline.
Ink opacity and edge softness	supported	ink.opacity, ink.softness	Clean SVG export keeps the shapes; softness is a display filter.
Ink texture	supported	ink.texture	Optional, fixed seed; always off in clean export.

Guided practice

Study one letter form with visible guides. Choose the letter and form above. Original Thuluth Study — Experimental

Guide opacity 100%Guide size ×1Tolerance 18

Your work Your strokes stay on this screen; each keeps the pen settings it was drawn with.

Write over the guide to see feedback.

The same guide drawn with two settings

Study defaults · mean 10.33 · 99%

Current settings · mean 10.33 · 99%

Thuluth evidence, measurements and review Historical reference

Source	Locator	Access	Supports	Does not establish	Reuse
Mathematical concepts in Arabic calligraphy: The proportions of the ʾAlif	PLOS ONE 15(5): e0232641, section on the number of dots	Read in full	Reports al-Hītī's statement that the alif is nine dots, with seven and five also said, the first suited to Muḥaqqaq and Thuluth; and that writers did not agree.	Any Thuluth letter other than the alif; any nib angle, width or stroke order; that nine dots is a rule for every school.	CC BY 4.0 (text); figures not embedded.
Al-ʿUmdah, Risālah fī al-Khaṭṭ wa al-Qalam	p. 418, Nājī 2002 edition — as quoted by Yaghan 2020	Known only through another publication	Nothing directly: the edition was not obtained; the wording is Yaghan's translation.	The exact Arabic wording, its context, or the edition's reading.	Not reproduced.
Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III	vol. III pp. 28 and 47 (Amīriyya printing 1913–19)	Read in full	Alif lengths of 8, 6 and 7 dots from three authorities, kept separate.	Anything about Thuluth specifically: neither page names a script for those lengths.	Public-domain printing; quoted, not reproduced as images.
A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb')	Thuluth section after the heading on image 25 (f. 11a): images 27 (f. 12a) and 30 (f. 13b) at full resolution; 25–33 otherwise overview	Viewed at full resolution	Five free-standing alifs measured on two pages (7.93–8.52 page dot-heights).	A page-level, school-wide or alphabet-wide proportion; Ibn al-Bawwāb's own hand (the copy is 'in his manner', 1502).	Zooming images © University of Manchester Library; linked only.
Calligraphy Copybook in Thuluth and Naskh Script (al-Burda)	QNL:00033121 (copybook in Thuluth and Naskh, 1879)	Catalogue record only	That such a copybook is held.	Which pages are Thuluth, or any letterform.	Reuse terms not stated; not reproduced.
Murakka (album), inv. 120-0343	Sakıp Sabancı Museum 120-0343 (Hafız Osman album, 'Muhakkak Sülüs')	Catalogue record only	That the album is described with that script label.	Any measurement or pen setting.	All rights reserved; not reproduced.
Calligraphic panel (CAL 312)	Khalili CAL 312 (tughra 'said to have been designed' by Mustafa Râkım)	Catalogue record only	A hedged design attribution.	Râkım's own Thuluth hand; any setting.	Not reproduced.
Part 15 of a 30-part Qur'an (QUR 29)	Khalili QUR 29 (Yāqūt, signed f. 58a)	Catalogue record only	A signed section by Yāqūt — in Muḥaqqaq.	Anything about his Thuluth.	Not reproduced.

No additional Thuluth source was added this phase: none was found and inspected; leads without inspection are not listed as evidence.

Nine-dot alif: “it does not exceed or lessen than nine dots, and it is said seven dots, and it is said five dots. The first can be considered for the Muḥaqqaq and Thuluth scripts…” — p. 418 (Nājī 2002 edition), as quoted by Yaghan 2020. One reported tradition (al-Hītī via Yaghan), with seven and five also reported in the same passage. Not applied as a rule for every Thuluth school, letter or teaching method.

Manuscript measurements (n = 5, 2 pages)

Page dot-heights: alif height ÷ median height of finished dot marks on the same page image (MP-ALIF-DOT v2). An image-derived normalised value — not traditional (pen-width rhombus) dots.

image 27 (f. 12a) alif #0: 7.933 page dot-heights
image 27 (f. 12a) alif #1: 8.178 page dot-heights
image 27 (f. 12a) alif #2: 8.333 page dot-heights
image 30 (f. 13b) alif #0: 8.523 page dot-heights
image 30 (f. 13b) alif #1: 8.455 page dot-heights
Excluded: image 30 #2 (4.182) — By eye: thin slanted stroke with no head, tapering at both ends; possibly a vowel sign (same reason as the Phase 9 exclusions)

Five alifs on two pages: too few for a page-level, school-wide or alphabet-wide conclusion. Image 30 was not reproduced exactly from Phase 9. Not used to set any guide or pen value. Never combined with the Naskh measurements.

Master-inspired profiles and Thuluth Master-inspired experiment

Ibn Muqla · profile script: naskh · label: experimental · assigned Thuluth settings: noneProfile is not a Thuluth profile; no Thuluth settings are assigned. Not applicable.
Ibn al-Bawwāb · profile script: naskh · label: experimental · assigned Thuluth settings: noneProfile is not a Thuluth profile; no Thuluth settings are assigned. Not applicable.
Yāqūt al-Mustaʿṣimī · profile script: thuluth · label: experimental · assigned Thuluth settings: noneThe Met (read): association with the six pens and an oblique cut; Rice 1955 (read): many attributions to Yāqūt are false; the one signed section found (Khalili QUR 29) is Muḥaqqaq, catalogue only. No specimen of this calligrapher's Thuluth has been inspected.Documented: Association with the six pens (al-aqlām al-sitta); Oblique reed cut (general)Which signed or securely attributed Thuluth specimens by this calligrapher can be inspected? Which visible features could be measured without inferring pen angle or pressure?
Hafız Osman · profile script: naskh · label: experimental · assigned Thuluth settings: noneProfile is not a Thuluth profile; no Thuluth settings are assigned. Not applicable.
Mustafa Râkım · profile script: thuluth · label: experimental · assigned Thuluth settings: noneOne hedged catalogue record (Khalili CAL 312, a tughra 'said to have been designed' by him). No specimen of this calligrapher's Thuluth has been inspected.Which signed or securely attributed Thuluth specimens by this calligrapher can be inspected? Which visible features could be measured without inferring pen angle or pressure?

Questions for a qualified Thuluth reviewer

proportion: Is a nine-dot alif an appropriate study target, given the seven- and five-dot reports and school differences?
construction: Which study letterforms misrepresent Thuluth construction, and how?
connections: Are the connector lengths and joined forms acceptable for practice?
terminals: Which terminals (heads, tapers, returned ya) need a shape the engine does not model?
pen: Are the study pen's working defaults reasonable for practice, and which must stay unassigned?
measurement: Are the five measured alifs suitable at all, and what sample would be adequate?

Review decisions need the reviewer's name and qualification and are stored on this device only — not a secure or formal approval. No review has taken place.

T11-C01 Awaiting expert review
al-Hītī is reported (via Yaghan) to give the alif as nine dots, with seven and five also said; the first is linked to Muḥaqqaq and Thuluth.
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAlī al-Hītī (d. 1486), Al-ʿUmdah, Risālah fī al-Khaṭṭ wa al-Qalam, p. 418 (Nājī 2002), via Yaghan 2020
- Edition not obtained; translation is Yaghan's.
- Not a rule for every school.
Proposed: Thuluth study alif — not justified yet. A reported tradition, not applied to the study drawings.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Yaghan 2020 read in full; al-Hītī not obtained
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Statement recorded as reported
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
T11-C02 Awaiting expert review
On two Thuluth pages of this copy, five alifs measure 7.93–8.52 page dot-heights (image-derived, not traditional dots).
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 27 (f. 12a) and 30 (f. 13b), five free-standing alifs · open
- n = 5 on 2 pages.
- Image 30 not reproduced exactly from Phase 9.
- A later copy 'in the manner of' Ibn al-Bawwāb.
Proposed: Thuluth study alif height — not justified yet. Too few observations.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Native-resolution IIIF images
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with MP-ALIF-DOT v2
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
T11-C03 Awaiting expert review
The Thuluth study letterforms are original drawings made for this app. They are not traced from this or any manuscript.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Experiment: Original Thuluth Study letterforms (thuluth-study.ts) · open
- Experimental design decisions; awaiting a calligrapher's assessment.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · App-made
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Drawn for this app
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Recorded as an experimental study
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
T11-C04 Awaiting expert review
The Thuluth study pen uses experimental working defaults (width 18, angle 35, contrast 1, smoothing 0.55, cornerDeg 60, taperStart 0.8, taperEnd 1.6, minRatio 0.22, speedResponse 0.15, pressureResponse 0.5). None is historically documented.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Experiment: Thuluth study pen working defaults · open
- Chosen for expressive practice.
- Nib angle and width are not inferred from manuscript proportions.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · App-made
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Engine settings
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Recorded as experimental
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):

Expert Review & Validation · مراجعة الخبراء والتحقق

This study awaits independent expert review. All drawings and settings are experimental.

No expert review has been recorded on this device. To add one, open an item under “Validation package” below and record a decision with the reviewer's name and qualification.

Review items: 32
Review dimensions: 6
Items awaiting review: 32
Items with feedback recorded: 0
Items requiring revision: 0
Items with all reviews completed: 0
Revisions implemented from review: 0
Historical claims independently supported: 0
Outstanding questions: 43
Most recent review: none

Feedback received, review completed, revision implemented and historical support are counted separately — one never implies another. Review records are stored in this browser only. They are not shared with other reviewers and not backed up.

Instructions for reviewers

The drawings are experimental digital practice models, not authenticated reproductions of any historical master's writing.
Some shapes and joins were developed for usability and tracing.
Manuscript measurements are image-derived observations, not traditional dot-based prescriptions.
Historical attribution and drawing quality are assessed separately.
Assess only the items and dimensions you are qualified to judge; 'Unable to assess' is always a valid answer.
You are free to disagree, request changes, or decline a historical judgment. Opening this package is not an endorsement.

Priority areas

Priority 1 — Letter joins ك · ـي · ـع ـغ · ج ح خ · ف ق · في
These joins left gaps in Revision 1 and were technically re-attached in Revision 2 (R2-01). The fix is geometric, not a calligrapher's correction.
- Is each join continuous and well spaced?
- For any problem, say which it is: A genuine calligraphic form problem; A technical rendering issue; A spacing choice that varies by style or context; A limitation of the digital drawing model.
- ك L-kaf-isolated Awaiting review
- ي L-ya-final Awaiting review
- ع L-ayn-final Awaiting review
- غ L-ghayn-final Awaiting review
- ج L-jim-isolated Awaiting review
- ح L-hha-initial Awaiting review
- خ L-kha-isolated Awaiting review
- ف L-fa-isolated Awaiting review
- ق L-qaf-isolated Awaiting review
- في S-fy Awaiting review
Priority 2 — Dots and distinguishing features ب ت ث
Dots were placed from Unicode dot counts (R2-02). A correct dot count says which letter it is, not that its calligraphic form is right.
- Are dot shapes, sizes and positions acceptable for study?
- ب L-ba-isolated Awaiting review
- ت L-ta-isolated Awaiting review
- ث L-tha-isolated Awaiting review
Priority 3 — Blunt alif foot (T-01) ا ل ك
Optional prototype from one observation (P12-OBS-T1, Manchester Arabic MS 97 images 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33). Not a Thuluth rule.
- Is the observed feature represented plausibly?
- Should it be limited to a style or context?
- Is the evidence sufficient to keep the option?
- Are more manuscript examples required?
- ا L-alif-isolated Awaiting review
Priority 4 — Stroke construction and pen behaviour —
Contrast, nib angle, tapers, smoothing, corners, speed and pressure response, texture and softness are experimental working defaults. The engine does not reproduce a physical reed pen.
- Which pen behaviours read as plausible practice, and which are digital artefacts?
- Separate digital rendering quality from historical pen technique.
- بن S-bn Awaiting review
- في S-fy Awaiting review
- سم S-sm Awaiting review
- كل S-kl Awaiting review
- لا S-la Awaiting review
- بسم S-bsm Awaiting review
- قلم S-qlm Awaiting review
- علم S-elm Awaiting review
- كتب S-ktb Awaiting review
- حسن S-hsn Awaiting review
Priority 5 — Historical claims —
Claims T11-C01, T11-C02, T11-C03, T11-C04 are each reviewed on their evidence, separately from the drawings. A plausible drawing proves nothing historical.
- Is each claim's evidence type (primary, secondary, catalogue, observation, interpretation, experimental) correctly stated?

Status by item and dimension

Item	Drawing	Calligraphic form	Stroke construction	Joining and spacing	Pen simulation	Pedagogical usefulness	Historical attribution or authenticity
ا L-alif-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ل L-lam-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ب L-ba-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ن L-nun-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ي L-ya-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ج L-jim-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ح L-hha-initial	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ع L-ayn-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ع L-ayn-medial	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
س L-sin-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ص L-sad-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ك L-kaf-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
م L-mim-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ه L-ha-medial	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
بن S-bn	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
في S-fy	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
سم S-sm	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
كل S-kl	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
لا S-la	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
بسم S-bsm	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
قلم S-qlm	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
علم S-elm	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
كتب S-ktb	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
حسن S-hsn	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ي L-ya-final	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ع L-ayn-final	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
غ L-ghayn-final	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
خ L-kha-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ف L-fa-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ق L-qaf-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ت L-ta-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review
ث L-tha-isolated	R1	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review	Awaiting review

Drawings, R1/R2 comparison, evidence, questions and history for each item are under “Validation package” below.

Record a new revision (R3 onward)

Only after a recorded review asked for a change. R1 and R2 stay unchanged. No revision has been made from expert feedback so far.

ItemReview requesting the changeDateReasonExact change made

Export the review package

One printable HTML file: purpose, status, pen limits, instructions, dimensions, priorities, status summary, sources, open questions, every item with its revision history, and a blank form. Manuscript images are linked by identifier only (their reuse terms do not allow embedding).

Validation package (Phase 12)

No expert review has taken place. Every item below is Awaiting review unless a decision is recorded on this device.

Letterform audit and corrections

Stroke endings and joins — evidence assessment

	Behaviour	Contexts	Evidence	Kind	Confidence / limits	Implementation	Expert question	Decision
T-01	Blunt (untapered) foot on long headed vertical strokes	alif, lam and kāf shafts; ṭāʾ staff; lam–alif	MS 97 images 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33 (native resolution, contact sheets of measured candidates, 2026-10-23): every accepted headed alif ends in a rounded, untapered foot, several turning slightly left. One manuscript, one scribe, 18 strokes.	Visible feature in a specific manuscript; Experimental renderer feature	low. One copybook in one hand; free-standing alifs only. The rounded outline is not modelled — the prototype gives a cut end at the nib angle.	Per-stroke setting override (exit taper 0) for ascender strokes of study drawings. No engine change.	Is a blunt, untapered foot appropriate for alif and lam in Thuluth study, and should it be rounded, cut or turned?	prototype
T-02	Fine pointed ending on short headless strokes	vowel signs (fatḥa, kasra) and similar short marks	Same contact sheets: the excluded short headless strokes taper to a point.	Visible feature in a specific manuscript	low. Vowel signs are not drawn in the study.	Already produced by the existing exit taper; nothing added.	Should vowel signs be added to the study, and with which ending?	defer
T-03	Wedge head (tarwīs) at the top of alif and lam	alif, lam	Visible on every accepted alif in the same crops.	Visible feature in a specific manuscript	medium. A shape of the drawing, not of the pen's ending.	Kept as part of the drawing skeleton (study alif already has a head); a renderer setting would duplicate it.	Is the study alif's head shape acceptable?	reject
T-04	Hooked terminal (a short return at a stroke end)	proposed for rāʾ/wāw tails and some bowl ends	None inspected: no page in the inspected set was examined for tail endings; no source text read on it.	—	low. No evidence; the shape varies by letter and school.	Would add path geometry per letter; better drawn into the skeleton if a reviewer asks for it.	Which letters, if any, need a hooked ending in this study?	defer
T-05	Flattened end cut along the nib edge	any stroke	Physical behaviour of a cut reed (modern interpretation).	Modern technical interpretation	medium. —	Already supported: exit taper 0 gives a cut along the nib edge. No new control added.	—	reject
T-06	Welding overlapping strokes into one outline	joins between head and shaft, bowls meeting connectors, lam–alif	No historical evidence needed or found; a technical matter.	Modern technical interpretation	medium. A true polygon union needs a boolean-geometry routine (no dependency allowed; high risk). Visible only when ink opacity is below 1: overlapping separate paths darken.	Prototype for study drawings only: all strokes of one drawing are written into ONE nonzero-fill path, so overlaps no longer double the ink. Learner strokes stay separate records (each keeps its own settings).	Is darker ink at overlaps acceptable (as with real ink) for learner strokes?	prototype

Manuscript evidence — MS 97 images 25–33

Image	Folio	Access	Measured	Accepted (page dot-heights)	Features observed	Uncertainty
25 (2026-10-23)	11a	Full-resolution image inspected	no	—	Two small lines closing the previous section, the gold heading 'قلم الثلث طريقة ابن البواب', a basmala and one line beginning 'كتب امير المؤمنين علي بن ابي طالب' (read from a 1/6-scale view of the native image).	unsuitable: the three candidates sit in the two small lines above the Thuluth heading (a smaller hand); dot sizes are mixed (IQR 25-44 px) Dot unit from 21 dot candidates (IQR 25–44 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded.
26 (2026-10-23)	11b	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	7.467, 8.267	Connected Thuluth text with vowel signs; headed alifs and thin vowel strokes seen in the candidate crops. Page text not read.	Only 2 accepted alif(s): no page summary. Dot unit from 20 dot candidates (IQR 42.25–47 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded.
27 (2026-10-22)	12a	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	7.933, 8.178, 8.333	Measured in Phase 9–11 (see the Phase 11 record).	Phase 11 record: fewer than 5 alifs, no page summary.
28 (2026-10-23)	12b	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	7.159, 8.159, 8.068	Connected Thuluth text; headed alifs and thin vowel strokes in the crops. Page text not read.	Only 3 accepted alif(s): no page summary. Dot unit from 33 dot candidates (IQR 41–46 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded. #1: a hairline continues from the foot; height may be slightly inflated
29 (2026-10-23)	13a	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	8.143, 9.452, 7.833	Connected Thuluth text; headed alifs in the crops. Page text not read.	Only 3 accepted alif(s): no page summary. Dot unit from 44 dot candidates (IQR 38–45 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded. #2: a separate stroke lies close above the head
30 (2026-10-22)	13b	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	8.523, 8.455	Measured in Phase 9–11 (see the Phase 11 record).	Phase 11 record: fewer than 5 alifs, no page summary.
31 (2026-10-23)	14a	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	9.093, 9.14	A closing line (وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وآله وسلم), then a new basmala and text that appears to begin 'قد نفذت خدمتي الى حضرة مولانا' — a new text unit within the Thuluth section (1/6-scale view).	Only 2 accepted alif(s): no page summary. Dot unit from 10 dot candidates (IQR 41–45.75 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded. #0: only 10 dot candidates on the page (minimum); dot unit less certain #1: only 10 dot candidates on the page (minimum); dot unit less certain
32 (2026-10-23)	14b	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	9.689, 8.311, 8.2, 8.6, 8.289 (page median 8.311)	Connected Thuluth text; nine tall-stroke candidates in the crops. Page text not read.	Dot unit from 19 dot candidates (IQR 42–46 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded.
33 (2026-10-23)	15a	Measured using the documented protocol	yes	8.622, 7.444, 7.911	Connected Thuluth text; eight candidates in the crops, one alif with a foot turned left. Page text not read.	Only 3 accepted alif(s): no page summary. Dot unit from 23 dot candidates (IQR 42–49 px). Identity checked by shape on contact sheets only; the surrounding word was not read, so a headed lam shaft cannot be fully excluded. #4: foot turns left; could be a final alif

Phase 12 added 18 alifs on 6 pages; 19 candidates excluded with reasons. All Thuluth values so far: 23 on 8 pages, 7.159–9.689 page dot-heights.

Preliminary observations from one copybook in one hand; free-standing alifs only; not a representative sample; not used for any guide or pen value. Neither confirms nor refutes the reported nine-dot alif: page dot-heights are not traditional dots, and one manuscript is not a tradition. Never combined with Naskh.

P12-OBS-T1 (images 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33): Accepted tall strokes have a wedge-shaped head and end in a rounded, untapered foot; several feet turn slightly left. The short headless strokes taper to a fine point. Reading: Consistent with a pen lifted without a thinning exit on alif shafts in this hand. Another scribe or school may differ. App change: Prototype T-01 (blunt foot) offered as an option on study drawings only; defaults unchanged.

Source leads (catalogue records only — not evidence)

Christie's, 20 Oct 2016, lot 6024690 (christies.com/en/lot/lot-6024690): An album of mufradāt in thuluth with naskh, bearing the name of Yāqūt al-Mustaʿṣimī.Supports: That such an album exists and is catalogued 'with name of' Yāqūt (a hedged attribution).Does not establish: That Yāqūt wrote it; any letter proportion or pen setting. Next: Find a published study of the album, or images with reuse terms, and a reviewer's view on attribution.
Bonhams sale 11404, 14 Oct 2004, lot 43: An album page with thuluth incorporating Yāqūt's name and the date 681/1282.Supports: The catalogue itself notes that later copies were 'embellished with the names' of early calligraphers.Does not establish: Yāqūt's authorship — the catalogue argues against relying on the name. Next: None: not a reliable specimen.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 29.75: A page 'in the manner of' Yāqūt.Supports: That the page is in Muḥaqqaq and Naskh in Yāqūt's manner.Does not establish: Anything about Thuluth; it is not by Yāqūt. Next: None for Thuluth.
Sotheby's L12220, 2012, lot 461: 'A calligrapher's exercise, by Mustafa Rakim', in Naskh and Thuluth.Supports: The catalogue identifies the scribe as Mustafa Rakim of Tash-mekteb (d. 1767) — a different person from Mustafa Râkım (1757–1826).Does not establish: Anything about Mustafa Râkım. A name-confusion warning for future searches. Next: Always check dates and nisba before attributing a 'Mustafa Rakim' item.
Khalili Collections 691 (via Art UK record): A panel by Sultan Mahmud II whose signature 'is said to have been designed by Mustafa Rakim'.Supports: A hedged design attribution for a tughra-form signature.Does not establish: Râkım's own Thuluth hand. Next: Look for a signed Râkım Thuluth panel with a museum record and images.

No new primary source was obtained in Phase 12. Al-Hītī's 2002 edition of al-ʿUmdah was not found in an accessible copy. No signed or reliably attributed Thuluth specimen by Yāqūt or Mustafa Râkım was inspected: the five records found are catalogue entries, two of which themselves weaken the attribution. New evidence this phase comes only from MS 97, already in the inventory.

Expert-review package (32 items × 6 dimensions)

Candidate examples for review, not canonical Thuluth constructions. Each decision covers one item and one dimension only: approving a drawing's form does not approve its pen settings, its attribution, or any other item. Decisions are stored in this browser only — not a secure, institutional or shared approval.

Research status for this script

Alif height in dots Draft3 source passage(s)
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Use of the dot measure Awaiting verification1 source passage(s)
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Nib placement angle Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Nib width Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Other letter proportions Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Stroke order and direction Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Contextual letter shapes Draft
Illustrative drafts, not historically verified. Naskh and Thuluth currently share the same drafts: no evidence has been inspected on how they differ.
Entry and exit strokes Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Joining conventions Verified
Verified for text joining (Unicode); calligraphic joins still need a manual.
Baseline and spacing Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.
Differences between schools Draft
A manual for this script with an exact page, checked by a named reviewer.

Sources located but not yet inspected page by page

A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb') — Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), Manuscript, 50 folios, 300 × 210 mm, 908 AH / 1502 CE, University of Manchester Library, Arabic MS 97 · recordImages 6–9 and 25–53 viewed; observations below await a calligraphy reviewer. Images © University of Manchester Library, all rights reserved — not reproduced here.Catalogue lists Naskh (images 6–9, 34–53) and Thuluth (images 25–34) sections in Ibn al-Bawwāb's manner. The images themselves were not examined; one specimen cannot establish a general rule.Catalogue re-read 2026-10-22: 'by a Turkish hand', 908 AH (1502 CE), 'probably in Turkey'; examples 'based on the system of writing established by' Ibn al-Bawwāb; each is headed 'طريقة ابن البواب' except fol. 32b ('ابن هلال'); colophon fol. 50b names محمد بن حسن … الطيبي الشافعي. Description: Mingana 1934 no. 771 [97], revised by Zsófia Buda. Older ink foliation 73–122: a part of a larger volume. The catalogue's own section titles spell the name 'Ibn al-Bawwād'.
Calligraphy Copybook in Thuluth and Naskh Script (al-Burda) — ʿAbd Allāh bin Muḥsin Zādah et al., Copybook, probably Istanbul, 1879, Qatar National Library, QNL:00033121 · recordCatalogue record only — not evidence for any rule yet. Reuse terms not stated on the record page; not reproduced.Record is marked provisional cataloguing. No folios inspected; which pages are Thuluth or Naskh is unknown.
الموسوعة التعليمية الحديثة للخطوط العربية (نسخ، رقعة، ثلث، فارسي، ديواني، كوفي) — Mahdī al-Sayyid Maḥmūd, Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 224 pp., 2016 · recordCatalogue record only — not evidence for any rule yet. In copyright; illustrations may not be reproduced.Only the catalogue record was read; no page content inspected.
Arabic Calligraphy: Naskh Script for Beginners — Mustafa Jaʿfar, London: McGraw-Hill, 2002Catalogue record only — not evidence for any rule yet. In copyright; illustrations may not be reproduced.Known only from the Met teacher resource's reading list (Unit 2 suggested readings). Not consulted.
Qur'an (CBL Is 1431) — Ibn al-Bawwāb (colophon), Manuscript, 287 folios, 391 AH / 1000–1001 CE, Chester Beatty, Dublin, Is 1431 · recordCatalogue record only — not evidence for any rule yet. © The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library; not reproduced.The image viewer asks automated visitors to pass an anti-bot check; it was not bypassed, so no folio was inspected.Folio count from the Corpus Coranicum record (Manuscripta Coranica).

What was seen in Arabic MS 97

One scribe's pages — not general rules. Pen angle, nib width and stroke order cannot be read from a finished page.

Image 7 · folio 2a · ح س ص ط · Awaiting reviewSeen: Each row pairs one base letter (ح, then س, then ص, then ط) with a run of following letters, written without dots; most rows end in a long horizontal line.Reading: Looks like a drill of joined combinations by base letter. Whether the absence of dots is a teaching convention or this scribe's choice cannot be told from one page.App drawing: Shows which pairs were practised, not exact letter geometry; no drawing change.
Image 34 · folio 15b · ب س م · Awaiting reviewSeen: Under the Naskh heading the basmala also has a very long horizontal stroke after بسـ, longer than the rest of the line's words.Reading: Both sections open with an elongated basmala; this is a shared page layout on these two images, not a Naskh/Thuluth difference.App drawing: No letter-shape evidence; drawings unchanged.
Image 40 · folio 18b · ا ل · Awaiting reviewSeen: Six lines per page in a visibly smaller hand than images 25–33; verticals are short relative to the line spacing.Reading: Writing size and page layout differ from the Thuluth section, so a proportion comparison here would mix size with style.App drawing: Size difference is not a letter-form rule; drawings unchanged.
Image 40 · folio 18b · · Awaiting reviewSeen: Line 2 reads, tentatively, 'أراد بأن القط يجري منوّعاً على حسب المكتوب …'; line 3 contains 'ريحاناً' and 'محرَّفاً'.Reading: The verse seems to say the pen's cut changes with the script being written, with an oblique cut for Rayḥān. The reading is uncertain and the author is not named.App drawing: No angle or measure is given; the app already lets each style have its own nib.
Image 44 · folio 20b · ا · Awaiting reviewSeen: The 25 free-standing alifs are straight vertical strokes, most with no thickened head; widest part about one dot wide.Reading: A plain alif in this scribe's Naskh. Size and scribe may explain this as much as script.App drawing: Needs a reviewer before Naskh and Thuluth alif drafts are separated.

Research dossiers: masters, specimens and measurements

A master's name here is a research subject, never a claim that the pen reproduces their handwriting.

Ibn Muqla · Abbasid proportional scripts (al-khaṭṭ al-mansūb)

Scripts: naskh, thuluth

Experimental Settings are working hypotheses and are not historically validated.

Sources actually read or viewed

Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III · open
Mohammad Ali Jalal Yaghan, Mathematical concepts in Arabic calligraphy: The proportions of the ʾAlif · open

Reference specimens

No specimen identified.

Characteristics and claims, with their sources

P9-C06 Awaiting expert review
Al-Qalqashandī reports three alif lengths: 8 dots (Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ, width one eighth), 6 dots (Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām) and 7 dots (al-Āthārī).
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, vol. III p. 28 · open
- A 15th-century compilation reporting earlier writers.
- No script is named for these values.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Page image read in the NYU Arabic Collections Online scan
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Text read and summarised
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C07 Awaiting expert review
Attributed to Ibn Muqla: test an alif by writing three or four alifs beside it and finding the space between them equal. Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām adds that the dot is square and the alif begins with a dot and ends finely (shaẓiyya).
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, vol. III p. 28 · open
- Attribution to Ibn Muqla is al-Qalqashandī's.
- Describes a test and a shape, not a pen setting.
Proposed: Alif practice drill (equal spacing of repeated alifs) — justified. A teaching exercise, not a pen parameter; not built yet.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Page image read
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Text read and summarised
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C08 Awaiting expert review
Al-Qalqashandī: al-Āthārī made the alif seven dots 'of every pen', so the width is one seventh of the length; letter sizes vary by about one eighth.
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, vol. III p. 47 · open
- Confirms Yaghan's quotation for this printing only; Yaghan cites a 1922 Dār al-Kutub edition.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Page image read
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Text read and summarised
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C12 Awaiting expert review
Yaghan: the proportion system is usually attributed to Ibn Muqla, but some historical and many modern studies doubt that he founded it or standardised the scripts.
Mohammad Ali Jalal Yaghan, Mathematical concepts in Arabic calligraphy: The proportions of the ʾAlif, section 'The ʾAlif', paragraphs on Ibn Muqla · open
- Yaghan cites George 2010 and Blair 2006 for the doubts; those were not read here.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Article read in full (open access)
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Statement recorded
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):

Settings still experimental

contrast, pressureResponse, speedResponse, smoothing, cornerDeg, taperStart, taperEnd — this profile uses its style's experimental defaults.

Open questions

No surviving work securely in his hand has been identified for study here.
Which edition of his treatise (as quoted by al-Qalqashandī) is reliable?

Expert review: no qualified reviewer yet. Texts describe a proportional system attributed to him; nothing shows how he held or cut his pen.

Measurements from Arabic MS 97 (provisional)

M-001 · naskh · Free-standing alif height ÷ median dot height: median 5.2 (middle half 4.77–5.59, range 4.19–7, n=64)Pages: image 36 (16b, 4.88), image 40 (18b, 4.96), image 44 (20b, 5.44)Threshold −15: median 5.19 (60 alifs); +15: median 5.20 (65 alifs).
M-002 · naskh · Median alif width ÷ median dot width: median 1.05 (middle half 1.02–1.05, range 1–1.05, n=3)Pages: image 36 (16b, 1), image 40 (18b, 1.05), image 44 (20b, 1.05)Not separately tested.
M-003 · thuluth · Tall alif height ÷ median dot height: median 8.3 (middle half 8.2–8.33, range 7.93–9.2, n=6)Pages: image 27 (12a, 8.18), image 30 (13b, 8.33)Not separately tested. Image 27: strokes of 4.22 and 3.04 dot-heights excluded by eye (tapering, no head; possibly vowel signs). Image 30: strokes of 4.47 and 4.09 excluded for the same reason.

Method MP-ALIF-DOT v1

Alif height and width compared with the size of the page's own dots. Original image pixels of the institution's IIIF image at full size (region requests at scale 1, stitched without resampling). Origin top-left; no rotation, scaling or deskewing.

Fetch the page at native size from the public IIIF image service (no protection bypassed).
Ink threshold T = midpoint between the page's 1st-percentile grey and its median (paper) grey.
Label 8-connected ink components; drop components touching the outer 12% (binding) or last 10% (fore-edge) of the width.
Dots: 18–50 px (Naskh) or 18–110 px (Thuluth) on each side, aspect 0.7–1.43, bounding-box fill 0.45–0.8, no holes, convex-hull solidity ≥ 0.9.
Alifs: height 3–12 × median dot height, height/width ≥ 3.5, width ≤ 1.5 × median dot width, fill ≥ 0.35.
Ratio = alif bounding-box height ÷ median dot bounding-box height of the same page.
Check every detected alif and a sample of dots by eye on contact sheets; record exclusions.
Repeat with T ± 15 grey levels to test sensitivity.

Known failure modes

Alifs touching a vowel sign, hamza or neighbouring letter are missed (only free-standing alifs are counted).
Final alifs joined to the previous letter are never counted.
Some hamzas or damaged dots pass the dot filter; the median limits their effect.
A dot's bounding box is not the treatise unit of dots stacked vertex to vertex (Yaghan 2020, 'How dots are arranged').
Short tapering strokes in Thuluth may be vowel signs; they need a human decision.

A static page shows the finished mark only. Nib angle, pressure and speed are not inferred from it.

All research claims (15)

P9-C01 Awaiting expert review
On three Naskh pages of this one manuscript, free-standing alifs measure about 5 dot-heights (median 5.2; middle half 4.8–5.6; 64 alifs).
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 36 (16b), 40 (18b), 44 (20b), whole text block · open
- One later copy 'in the manner of' Ibn al-Bawwāb, not his hand.
- Dot height of a finished dot is not the same as the treatise unit of dots placed vertex to vertex.
- Automated detection; checked by eye on contact sheets only.
Proposed: Naskh letter model: alif height in dots — not justified yet. Compatible with the app's existing 5–6 dot draft; one manuscript cannot set a rule, so no change.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Native-resolution regions from the institution's public image service
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with method MP-ALIF-DOT v1
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C02 Awaiting expert review
The widest part of these Naskh alifs is about as wide as a dot (ratio 1.0–1.05).
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 36, 40, 44 · open
- Shows the width of a finished mark, not the nib width or angle.
- Width is a bounding box and includes any slant.
Proposed: nib width — not justified yet. A static page cannot give the physical nib; no engine change.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Native-resolution regions
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with method MP-ALIF-DOT v1
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C03 Awaiting expert review
On two Thuluth pages of the same manuscript, the tall alifs measure about 8.3 dot-heights (6 alifs, 7.9–9.2).
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 27 (12a), 30 (13b) · open
- Only six alifs.
- Four shorter tapering strokes were excluded by eye as of uncertain identity.
- Near, but not equal to, al-Hītī's nine dots (quoted via Yaghan 2020).
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Native-resolution regions
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with method MP-ALIF-DOT v1
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C04 Awaiting expert review
In this manuscript, Naskh alifs are mostly plain straight strokes; the tall Thuluth alifs have a thickened head at the top left.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Contact sheets of alifs from images 36, 40, 44 vs 27, 30 · open
- Two scripts written at very different sizes; size may explain part of the difference.
- One scribe.
Proposed: Separate Naskh and Thuluth alif drafts — not justified yet. A visible difference in one manuscript; a reviewer must confirm before any drawing changes.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Native-resolution regions
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Compared contact sheets by eye
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C05 Awaiting expert review
A text on this Naskh page appears to say that the cut of the pen varies with what is written, and mentions Rayḥān with an oblique (muḥarraf) cut.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Image 40 (18b), lines 2–3 · open
- Reading of the verse is tentative and unreviewed.
- Gives no angle or measure.
- Author of the verse not identified.
Proposed: nib angle per script — not justified yet. No numeric value; the engine already allows a different nib per style.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Read at 2000 px
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Transcribed tentatively: 'أراد بأن القط يجري منوّعاً على حسب المكتوب …' and '… ريحاناً … محرَّفاً …'
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C06 Awaiting expert review
Al-Qalqashandī reports three alif lengths: 8 dots (Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ, width one eighth), 6 dots (Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām) and 7 dots (al-Āthārī).
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, vol. III p. 28 · open
- A 15th-century compilation reporting earlier writers.
- No script is named for these values.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Page image read in the NYU Arabic Collections Online scan
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Text read and summarised
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C07 Awaiting expert review
Attributed to Ibn Muqla: test an alif by writing three or four alifs beside it and finding the space between them equal. Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām adds that the dot is square and the alif begins with a dot and ends finely (shaẓiyya).
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, vol. III p. 28 · open
- Attribution to Ibn Muqla is al-Qalqashandī's.
- Describes a test and a shape, not a pen setting.
Proposed: Alif practice drill (equal spacing of repeated alifs) — justified. A teaching exercise, not a pen parameter; not built yet.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Page image read
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Text read and summarised
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C08 Awaiting expert review
Al-Qalqashandī: al-Āthārī made the alif seven dots 'of every pen', so the width is one seventh of the length; letter sizes vary by about one eighth.
Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418), Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, vol. III p. 47 · open
- Confirms Yaghan's quotation for this printing only; Yaghan cites a 1922 Dār al-Kutub edition.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Page image read
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Text read and summarised
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C09 Awaiting expert review
Rice (1955): Ibn al-Bawwāb is known to have favoured a reed cut straight, giving strokes of even width, which Rice sees in the Chester Beatty Qur'an.
D. S. Rice, The Unique Ibn al-Bawwab Manuscript in the Chester Beatty Library, pp. 12–13 and 28 · open
- Rice relies on later literary sources (Qāḍī Aḥmad; al-Qalqashandī vol. II p. 151) for the cut.
- The codex itself was not inspected by this app: its viewer blocks automated access, which was not bypassed.
Proposed: Ibn al-Bawwāb profile: lower thick–thin contrast — not justified yet. Direction only, no measurement; kept as a draft proposal and not applied.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · PDF published by the Chester Beatty, read in full
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Statement recorded
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C10 Awaiting expert review
Rice treats the Chester Beatty Qur'an (Is 1431) as the only known work in Ibn al-Bawwāb's own hand and lists other ascriptions as later or fabricated.
D. S. Rice, The Unique Ibn al-Bawwab Manuscript in the Chester Beatty Library, Foreword; pp. 27–28 · open
- A 1955 view; later scholarship not checked here.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Read in full
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Statement recorded
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C11 Awaiting expert review
Rice: Yāqūt cut his reed obliquely, so his script was thin in places and thicker in others; many manuscripts ascribed to him are 'palpably spurious'.
D. S. Rice, The Unique Ibn al-Bawwab Manuscript in the Chester Beatty Library, pp. 9–10 and 12 · open
- Reported from literary tradition; no specimen measured.
Proposed: Yāqūt profile: oblique nib — not justified yet. The engine's default nib is already oblique; no value can be taken from this.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Read in full
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Statement recorded
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C12 Awaiting expert review
Yaghan: the proportion system is usually attributed to Ibn Muqla, but some historical and many modern studies doubt that he founded it or standardised the scripts.
Mohammad Ali Jalal Yaghan, Mathematical concepts in Arabic calligraphy: The proportions of the ʾAlif, section 'The ʾAlif', paragraphs on Ibn Muqla · open
- Yaghan cites George 2010 and Blair 2006 for the doubts; those were not read here.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Article read in full (open access)
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Statement recorded
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P9-C13 Source located
Part 15 of a 30-part Qur'an, dated 681 AH / 1282–3, main text in muhaqqaq, signed by Yāqūt on fol. 58a (Khalili Collection QUR 29).
Yāqūt al-Mustaʿṣimī (signature fol. 58a), Part 15 of a 30-part Qur'an (QUR 29), Museum With No Frontiers record for QUR 29 · open · catalogue record only — not visual evidence
- Catalogue text only; no page image inspected.
Reviewer: none yet
History (1)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
P9-C14 Source located
A muraqqaʿ dated 1080 AH (1669–70) with a colophon signed by Ḥāfiẓ ʿUthmān (Sakıp Sabancı Museum 120-0343).
Ḥāfiẓ ʿUthmān (colophon), Murakka (album), inv. 120-0343, digitalSSM record 120-0343 · open · catalogue record only — not visual evidence
- Catalogue text only; images not inspected; all rights reserved.
Reviewer: none yet
History (1)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
P9-C15 Source located
A jali thuluth panel by Sultan Mahmud II whose tughra signature is 'said to have been designed' by Mustafa Râkım (Khalili CAL 312).
Sultan Mahmud II; tughra 'said to have been designed' by Mustafa Râkım, Calligraphic panel (CAL 312), Khalili Collections record CAL 312 · open · catalogue record only — not visual evidence
- Not a work in Râkım's own hand; the attribution is hedged by the museum.
- No image inspected.
Reviewer: none yet
History (1)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found

Naskh calibration study: protocol, dataset and experiment

One later manuscript copy, measured by software and not yet reviewed by a calligrapher. It describes this copy; it does not set a rule or reproduce a master's hand.

What 'one dot' means here

bbox-height · measurable hereHeight of a finished dot mark on the same page (vertical extent of its ink). Primary unit of this dataset.Not established. A finished dot is a rotated, ink-spread mark; its height is not the side or diagonal of a rhombus.
sqrt-area · measurable hereSide of a square with the same ink area as the page's median dot. Kept only to show how much the result depends on the unit.Not established. Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām (via al-Qalqashandī, vol. III p. 28) says the dot is 'square' (murabbaʿa); this is a modern area-equivalent, not his unit.
treatise-rhombus · not measurable here — left emptyThe traditional dot made by the pen's full width, placed vertex to vertex in a column.This is the treatise unit. No stacked-dot column survives on these pages, so it cannot be measured here; the field stays empty.

Protocol MP-ALIF-DOT v2

Native pixels of the institution's IIIF image (region requests at scale 1, stitched without resampling). Origin top-left; x right, y down. No rotation, deskewing or perspective correction.

Ratio source: measured from a surviving specimen — no ratio here is prescribed by the manuscript or by a treatise.

Height: Outer boundary: topmost to lowest ink pixel of the free-standing alif's connected ink (includes the head and the tapering end, which al-Qalqashandī's source calls the shaẓiyya).
Width: Outer boundary: leftmost to rightmost ink pixel. On a slanted alif this includes the slant, so it overstates the stroke width.
Dot: Median bounding-box height (and separately width and √area) of the page's isolated dot marks.
Outer ink boundary, not the centreline. The centreline length of a slanted stroke would be slightly longer than its vertical extent.
No deskew. Curved strokes, alifs touching other marks, and outlined heading letters are excluded by eye and the reason recorded.
Scaling: alif and dot are in the same pixels of the same page, so the ratio does not depend on image scale.
Resolution: a dot is about 22–30 px tall, so ±1 px changes one dot height by about ±4%; each alif stores this bound.
Perspective and page curl: not corrected; marks in the outer 12% (binding side) and last 10% of the width are ignored.
Cropping: whole canvases were used; nothing was cropped before measurement.
Ink threshold: midpoint of the page's 1st-percentile and median grey; every alif is re-measured at threshold −15 and +15.
Per alif: quantisation bound and threshold re-measurement. Per page: median and middle half. Between pages: range of page medians. Pages are reported separately because letters on one page share scale and writing conditions and are not independent.

Inclusion rules

Free-standing alif (not joined to the previous letter, not touching a vowel sign or hamza).
Height 3–12 × page dot height, height ≥ 3.5 × width, width ≤ 1.5 × dot width, ink fill ≥ 35%.
Passes a by-eye check on the contact sheet (exclusions are recorded with a reason).

Worked example — image 40 (18b), alif #1

Page size 4639 × 6500 px; ink threshold 112.5.
53 dot marks accepted; median height 26 px (middle half 24–28), median width 21 px, √area 19.65 px.
Alif #1 at x 2761, y 693: 129 px tall, 24 px wide (outer boundary).
Height ÷ dot height = 129 ÷ 26 = 4.962; with ±1 px: 4.741–5.2; threshold −15/+15: 4.962 / 4.815.
In the √area unit the same alif is 6.566 — the unit alone changes the number by about a third.

Results by page (alif height ÷ page dot height)

Section A — Naskh, 'ayḍan ṭarīqatuhu' (heading on image 34, f. 15b): median of 14 page medians 5.37; pages range 4.85–6.14; 300 alifs · varies between pages

Section B — Naskh 'al-muʿtād' (heading on image 48, f. 22b): median of 6 page medians 5.8; pages range 5.54–6.06; 140 alifs · stable across pages

Image	Folio	Sec.	Full res.	Suitable	n	excl.	median	middle half	T−15 / T+15	√area unit	width
34	15b	A	✓	H+W	12	1	5.74	5.39–5.97	5.81 / 5.74	7.58	0.98
35	16a	A	✓	H+W	24	0	5.65	5.34–6.08	5.63 / 5.67	7.45	1.09
36	16b	A	✓	H+W	17	1	4.85	4.58–5.42	4.88 / 4.85	6.47	1
37	17a	A	✓	H+W	27	2	5.08	4.94–5.44	5.08 / 4.92	6.69	1.15
38	17b	A	✓	H+W	24	0	5.3	4.93–5.56	5.39 / 5.32	6.98	1.05
39	18a	A	✓	H+W	25	0	5.28	4.88–5.56	5.18 / 5.32	7.11	1.1
40	18b	A	✓	H+W	20	0	4.9	4.66–5.31	4.9 / 4.78	6.49	1.05
41	19a	A	✓	H+W	26	1	5.48	5.21–5.9	5.46 / 5.5	7.04	1.1
42	19b	A	✓	H+W	16	2	5.44	4.95–5.75	5.33 / 5.12	6.87	0.95
43	20a	A	✓	H+W	25	1	5.2	4.92–5.4	5.24 / 5.28	7.08	1
44	20b	A	✓	H+W	24	0	5.67	5.38–6.02	5.63 / 5.35	7.62	1.05
45	21a	A	✓	H+W	11	1	5.74	5.3–6.26	5.7 / 5.78	7.58	0.95
46	21b	A	✓	H+W	17	0	6.14	5.96–6.5	5.7 / 5.94	7.71	1.05
47	22a	A	✓	H+W	32	1	5.28	4.72–5.52	5.23 / 5.32	7.29	0.91
48	22b	B	✓	H+W	16	0	5.92	5.2–7.19	6.32 / 6.12	8.54	1.04
49	23a	B	✓	H+W	27	0	5.54	5.23–5.91	5.6 / 5.44	7.79	1
50	23b	B	✓	H+W	27	1	5.82	5.2–6.02	6 / 5.82	8.44	1.05
51	24a	B	✓	H+W	24	2	6.06	5.66–6.33	5.77 / 5.83	7.94	1.1
52	24b	B	✓	H+W	24	0	5.78	5.5–6.24	6.04 / 5.67	7.49	0.93
53	25a	B	✓	H+W	22	2	5.73	5.32–6	5.82 / 5.75	7.55	1.14

Pages are the independent units: letters on one page share scale and writing conditions. 'Suitable' H = height, W = width.

Images 6–9 (Naskh) and the rest of the manuscript remain overview only. Images 27 and 30 (Thuluth) were re-opened to confirm access, not re-measured.

Phase 9 stored only ratios, not the coordinates behind them. Re-running the same method gives close but not identical values: image 36 has 18 detected alifs in both runs; image 40 has 21 stored vs 20 now; image 44 has 25 stored vs 24 now and a dot height of 25 px stored vs 24 px now. The stored M-001 values (median 5.2 over 64 alifs) are kept unchanged as a historical research note; the v2 dataset is a new, separately labelled dataset with every coordinate kept.

What the texts say — each authority kept separate

Historical prescription (attributed) the author of Rasāʾil Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ (epistle on music) · 8 dots
ثم الذي ذكره صاحب «رسائل إخوان الصفا» في رسالة الموسيقى، عند ذكر حروف المعجم استطرادا أن مساحتها في الطول تكون ثمانَ نُقَط من نُقَط القلم الذي تكتب به ليكون العرض ثُمن الطول.
Then what the author of the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity mentions in the epistle on music, in passing when listing the letters: that its measure in length is eight dots of the pen with which it is written, so that the width is one eighth of the length.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 28 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator) · width = 1/8 of the length (stated)Not stated: No script is named. The shape of the dot is not described here.
Historical prescription (attributed) Sharaf al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ʿIzz al-Dīn ibn ʿAbd al-Salām · 6 dots
والذي ذكره الشيخ شرف الدين محمد بن الشيخ عز الدين بن عبد السلام: أنها مقدرة بست نقط.
What Shaykh Sharaf al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Shaykh ʿIzz al-Dīn ibn ʿAbd al-Salām mentions: that it is measured at six dots.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 28 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)Not stated: No width rule. No script is named.
Historical prescription (attributed) Zayn al-Dīn Shaʿbān al-Āthārī, in his Alfiyya · 7 dots
والذي ذكره الشيخ زين الدين شعبان الآثاري في ألفيته أنها مقدرة بسبع نقط، فما زاد على ذلك كان زائدا عن مقدارها وما نقص كان ناقصا عنه.
What Shaykh Zayn al-Dīn Shaʿbān al-Āthārī mentions in his Alfiyya: that it is measured at seven dots; whatever exceeds that is beyond its measure and whatever falls short is short of it.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 28 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)Not stated: No script is named on this page.
Historical prescription (attributed) Zayn al-Dīn Shaʿbān al-Āthārī, in his Alfiyya · 7 dots
واعلم أن صاحبنا الشيخ زين الدين شعبان الآثاري في ألفيته قد جعل طول الألف سبعَ نقط من كل قلم، ومقتضاه أن يكون العرض سُبع الطول.
Know that our companion Shaykh Zayn al-Dīn Shaʿbān al-Āthārī in his Alfiyya made the length of the alif seven dots of every pen; its implication is that the width is one seventh of the length.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 47 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator) · width = 1/7 of the length — al-Qalqashandī's inference ('muqtaḍāhu'), not al-Āthārī's stated ruleNot stated: The one-seventh width is drawn as an implication, not quoted.
Historical prescription (attributed) al-Āthārī (as continued by al-Qalqashandī: 'thumma qāla')
ثم قال: إن ما زاد عن ذلك فهو زائد في الطول، وما كان ناقصا عن ذلك فهو ناقص، وعلى ذلك تختلف المقادير المقدرة بالألف من الحروف بنقص قدر الثمن من الطول.
Then he said: what exceeds that is over-long and what falls short is short; and accordingly the measures of the letters reckoned by the alif differ by a deficit of about one eighth of the length.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 47 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)Not stated: The exact meaning of 'a deficit of about one eighth' needs a qualified reader.
Historical prescription (attributed) Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām
قال ابن عبد السلام: وتكون النقطة مربعة. قال: ويكون ابتداؤها بنقطة وآخرها بشَظِيّة.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām said: the dot is square. He said: [the alif] begins with a dot and ends with a sliver (shaẓiyya).
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 28 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)Not stated: 'Square' is not further defined (orientation, whether measured edge or diagonal).
Historical prescription (attributed) Ibn Muqla (attribution by al-Qalqashandī)
قال ابن مقلة: واعتبارها أن تخط إلى جانبها ثلاث ألفات أو أربع ألفات فتجد فضاء ما بينها متساويا.
Ibn Muqla said: its test is that you write three or four alifs beside it and find the space between them equal.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 28 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)Not stated: No number of dots is attributed to Ibn Muqla on this page. A spacing test, not a length ratio.
Historical prescription (attributed) Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām
قال ابن عبد السلام: وتكون تلك الألفاتُ المخطوطةُ إلى جانبها مناسباتٍ لها في الطول متساوياتِ الرؤوس والأذناب.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām said: those alifs written beside it should match it in length, with equal heads and tails.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 28 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)
Historical prescription (attributed) ʿImād al-Dīn ibn al-ʿAfīf
وقد أشار الشيخ عماد الدين بن العفيف إلى ضوابط في ذلك ... فقال: واعلم أن مقادير الحروف متناسبة في كل خط من الخطوط.
Shaykh ʿImād al-Dīn ibn al-ʿAfīf indicated rules for this … and said: know that the measures of the letters are proportioned within every script.
Reported by al-Qalqashandī (d. 1418) · al-Qalqashandī, Kitāb Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. III, al-Maṭbaʿa al-Amīriyya, Cairo 1331–1338 AH (1913–1919); NYU ACO nyu_aco001702, p. 47 · translation: Lovable agent (working translation, not checked by a qualified translator)Not stated: No numbers here.

These lengths (8, 6, 7) are never averaged. The manuscript figures above are measurements of one copy, not any of these prescriptions.

P9-C06 (matches-with-caveat): Values 8 / 6 / 7 and the one-eighth width match p. 28. Caveat: the claim is filed under subject 'ibn-muqla', but none of these three lengths is attributed to Ibn Muqla on this page.
P9-C07 (matches): Test of three or four alifs with equal spaces (Ibn Muqla) and square dot / shaẓiyya (Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām) match p. 28.
P9-C08 (matches-with-caveat): Seven dots 'of every pen' matches p. 47. The one-seventh width is introduced by 'muqtaḍāhu' (its implication) — al-Qalqashandī's inference. 'Vary by about one eighth' paraphrases '…bi-naqṣ qadr al-thumn min al-ṭūl', whose exact meaning is open. Subject 'ibn-muqla' is not supported: the authority is al-Āthārī.

Yaghan 2020 cites a 1922 Dār al-Kutub edition of vol. III. This research read the Amīriyya printing (Cairo 1913–1919). The passages appear on the same page numbers (28 and 47), which suggests but does not prove the same setting. Unresolved until the 1922 edition's title page and pagination are inspected.

EXP-NASKH-ALIF-01 · Draft experiment — not applied to any profile

Whether a documented alif proportion measured on Manchester Arabic MS 97 can be drawn consistently by the existing pen engine as a practice template, and how it deviates from the source.

Template drawn by the unchanged Naskh pen: alif 4.962 of the engine's own dots tall (from image 40, alif #1). Faint marks: the engine's dot, stacked for scale.

Reference	source H	template H	H deviation	source W	template W	W deviation
40 (18b) #1	4.962	4.962	0.0%	1.143	0.681	-40.4%
36 (16b) #11	4.846	4.962	2.4%	1	0.681	-31.9%
38 (17b) #20	5.28	4.962	-6.0%	1.048	0.681	-35.0%
44 (20b) #1	5.667	4.962	-12.4%	1.048	0.681	-35.0%
47 (22a) #8	5.28	4.962	-6.0%	0.524	0.681	30.0%

Normalisation: source in its page's dot units; template in the engine's own dot units. No image is overlaid on the template.
Shape-boundary deviation: Not reported: the source alif is slanted, has a head and a tapering end that the straight template does not model, and source and template cannot be aligned reliably — any boundary score would be false precision.
Not compared, left experimental: nib angle, pressure, speed response, thick–thin contrast, head and tail shape, slant.

Page medians in section A range 4.85–6.14 dot-heights, wider than the 0.75 tolerance. The engine reproduces any chosen height exactly, but the manuscript does not give one stable value: the evidence supports a descriptive range, not a fixed template parameter.

Evidence audit

Four kinds of number — never converted into each other

traditional-dotTraditional dot: the historical proportional unit made with the calligrapher's own pen and nib. Not measurable on these pages (no stacked-dot column survives); left empty.
image-dot-equivalentImage-measured dot equivalent: the size in pixels of finished dot marks on the same page (median height, or side of an equal-area square).
normalised-proportionNormalised proportion: a ratio of two image measurements on the same page (alif height ÷ dot equivalent). Unitless; describes this copy only.
experimental-calibration-valueExperimental calibration value: a number chosen for a controlled test of the digital pen. Not a historical prescription, even when it is taken from a measurement.

Access level per image (derived from the records)

Image	Folio	Script	Access	Method	Note
27	12a	thuluth	Full-resolution image inspected	MP-ALIF-DOT v2 (audit re-measure)	Re-measured with v2: same 3 alifs and same values as Phase 9 (M-003). Fewer than 5 alifs, so no page summary is claimed.
30	13b	thuluth	Full-resolution image inspected	MP-ALIF-DOT v2 (audit re-measure)	Re-measured with v2: 2 alif(s) 8.52, 8.46 at dot 44 px vs Phase 9's 3 (8.33, 9.2, 8.27) at 45 px — not reproduced. Fewer than 5 alifs, so no page summary is claimed.
34	15b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2	Section heading in outlined letters and an elongated basmala; one outline stroke excluded.
35	16a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
36	16b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
37	17a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
38	17b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
39	18a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
40	18b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
41	19a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
42	19b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2	Ends the didactic poem ('tammat al-manẓūma fī fann al-kitāba') and begins the istighfār of Abū Madyan in larger letters; two heading strokes excluded.
43	20a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
44	20b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
45	21a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
46	21b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
47	22a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
48	22b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2	New heading 'qalam al-naskh al-muʿtād ṭarīqatuhu'; larger dots (30 px). Reported as section B, never pooled with section A.
49	23a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2	Only 19 isolated dots pass the filter; still above the 10-dot minimum.
50	23b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
51	24a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
52	24b	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2
53	25a	naskh	Measured using the documented protocol	MP-ALIF-DOT v2

Image number and folio are separate fields. Folio labels checked against the library's own page labels on 2026-10-22: all 33 match.

Audit of the earlier figures (images 27, 30, 36, 40, 44)

Earlier note kept as an unverified historical note: ≈ 64 Naskh alifs on three pages, ≈ 5.2 dot-equivalents tall and ≈ 1 wide (M-001). M-001 stored ratios but not the pixel boxes behind them, so its individual values cannot be traced back to letters. A v2 re-run gives close but not identical counts (image 40: 20 vs 21; image 44: 24 vs 25, dot 24 vs 25 px). The brief groups images 27 and 30 with the Naskh figures; they are Thuluth (M-003, five lines per page after the Thuluth heading on image 25). They are audited as Thuluth.

Image	Script	Before (n · median)	Now (n · median)	Reproduced	Supports
27 (12a)	thuluth	3 · 8.18	3 · 8.18	exact	no-defensible-conclusion
30 (13b)	thuluth	3 · 8.33	2 · 8.49	not-reproduced	no-defensible-conclusion
36 (16b)	naskh	18 · 4.88	17 · 4.85	close-not-exact	range
40 (18b)	naskh	21 · 4.96	20 · 4.9	close-not-exact	range
44 (20b)	naskh	25 · 5.44	24 · 5.67	close-not-exact	range

27: Thuluth, not Naskh: the 64 Naskh alifs of M-001 came from images 36, 40 and 44 only. Re-measured with v2: same 3 alifs and same values as Phase 9 (M-003). Fewer than 5 alifs, so no page summary is claimed.
30: Thuluth, not Naskh: the 64 Naskh alifs of M-001 came from images 36, 40 and 44 only. Re-measured with v2: 2 alif(s) 8.52, 8.46 at dot 44 px vs Phase 9's 3 (8.33, 9.2, 8.27) at 45 px — not reproduced. Fewer than 5 alifs, so no page summary is claimed.
36: Page median 4.85 (middle half 4.58–5.42, n 17). One page cannot give a stable estimate; across the section page medians differ more than the tolerance, so only a range is defensible.
40: Page median 4.9 (middle half 4.66–5.31, n 20). One page cannot give a stable estimate; across the section page medians differ more than the tolerance, so only a range is defensible.
44: Page median 5.67 (middle half 5.38–6.02, n 24). One page cannot give a stable estimate; across the section page medians differ more than the tolerance, so only a range is defensible.

Evidence categories

1. Historical prescription — Traceable source and exact citation (edition, page, authority). (9 records here)
2. Manuscript observation — Image or folio, access quality and observation method. (4 records here)
3. Modern interpretation — Marked as interpretation, with the ambiguity recorded. (0 records here)
4. Experimental setting — Marked experimental; never historical because of its name. (1 records here)

Claims at a glance

Claim	Category	Source · locator	Access	Method	Uncertainty	Status	Reviewer	Next action
P10-C01	Manuscript observation	A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb') · Images 34–47 (ff. 15b–22a), section 'qalam al-naskh ayḍan ṭarīqatuhu'	measured	D-NASKH-V2-A	One later copy 'in the manner of' Ibn al-Bawwāb. Dot = height of a finished dot mark, not the treatise rhombus. Page medians vary more than the stability tolerance.	Awaiting review	none · 4 steps	A qualified reviewer gives name, qualification and decision.
P10-C02	Manuscript observation	A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb') · Images 48–53 (ff. 22b–25a), section 'qalam al-naskh al-muʿtād ṭarīqatuhu'	measured	D-NASKH-V2-B	Different heading and larger dots on image 48; may be a different model or size of Naskh.	Awaiting review	none · 4 steps	A qualified reviewer gives name, qualification and decision.
P10-C03	Manuscript observation	A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb') · Images 34–47	measured	D-NASKH-V2-A	Bounding-box width includes slant. Does not give the nib width or angle.	Awaiting review	none · 4 steps	A qualified reviewer gives name, qualification and decision.
P10-C04	Manuscript observation	A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb') · Images 34–53, all included alifs	measured	D-NASKH-V2-A	Neither unit is the treatise dot.	Awaiting review	none · 4 steps	A qualified reviewer gives name, qualification and decision.
P10-C05	Experimental setting	A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb') · Experiment EXP-NASKH-ALIF-01, reference image 40 alif #1	measured	D-NASKH-V2-A	Nib width and angle are separate properties that a page cannot establish.	Experimental	none · 4 steps	Keep separate from historical claims; needs pen evidence (nib width, angle) before any setting changes.

Experiment design EXP-NASKH-ALIF-01 v1 — Experimental

Written down after the first run of the same day. This is a documented design, not a true pre-registration.

Question: Can one measured Naskh alif proportion from Arabic MS 97 be drawn consistently by the unchanged pen engine as a practice template, and how far does that one template deviate from other alifs in the same section?
Eligible data: Section A (images 34–47) pages marked suitable under MP-ALIF-DOT v2; primary reference image 40 alif #1; repeats on 36, 38, 44, 47 using the alif nearest each page median.
Baseline: Page medians 4.85–6.14 page dot-heights (section A); the dot is a finished mark's height, not the traditional dot.
Variable: Template stroke length only (derived from the reference ratio). Nib width, angle, contrast, pressure and speed are copied unchanged.
Evaluation: Height deviation = (template − reference) ÷ reference, each in its own dot units. Width deviation, same formula. Between-page stability: page medians within 0.75 dot-heights. Engine reproduction error for the template itself. No outline/shape score (cannot be aligned reliably).
Hypothesis: The engine reproduces any requested height; one fixed template will deviate from other pages by more than the stability tolerance allows, so the evidence supports a range rather than a single value.
Not inferred: nib angle, pressure response, stroke speed, stroke order, dynamic pen behaviour

Sources, alternatives and the blank review record

Read: Yaghan 2020, PLOS ONE (full text); Rice 1955, the Ibn al-Bawwāb Qur'an study (full text); al-Qalqashandī, Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā vol. III, Amīriyya printing 1913–19, pp. 28 and 47 (page images); Manchester Arabic MS 97 — images 34–53 measured; 27, 30 re-measured; IIIF manifest folio labels.

Catalogue record only: Chester Beatty CBL Is 1431 (viewer blocks automated access; not bypassed); Khalili QUR 29 (Yāqūt); Sakıp Sabancı 120-0343 (Hafız Osman); Khalili CAL 312 (Mustafa Râkım).

Not obtained: al-Hītī, al-ʿUmdah (Nājī 2002) — only via Yaghan; 1922 Dār al-Kutub edition of Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā cited by Yaghan.

Page-to-page variation may be the scribe's own variation, different line lengths or spacing, not measurement error.
Section B has larger dots; it may be a different size or model of Naskh rather than the same rule.
Ink spread enlarges small dots more than long strokes, which lowers the ratio.
Automatic detection favours clean free-standing alifs; joined or touching alifs are missed, so the sample is not random.
The copy is 'in the manner of' Ibn al-Bawwāb, written about 500 years later; it shows this scribe's practice.

Expert review record (blank — to be filled by the reviewer)

Name: —
Qualifications: —
Date: —
Decision per claim: —
Rationale: —
Answer on the dot unit: —
Recommended corrections: —

For a Naskh reviewer

Manuscript: University of Manchester Library, Arabic MS 97 — a work on calligraphy with examples each headed 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'; copied 908 AH / 1502 by Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī (colophon f. 50b). In the manner of, not in the hand of, Ibn al-Bawwāb.

Is a finished dot's height an appropriate unit for the claim being tested, or should only stacked-dot columns count?
Are the measurement points (outer ink boundary, head and tapering end included) and the per-page normalisation defensible?
Are free-standing alifs in this copy representative enough for the conclusion?
Do the observed proportions support a practice template, or only a descriptive observation?
Which additional specimens would materially strengthen the evidence?
Does any interpretation here exceed what the manuscript can establish?

Comments below are stored on this device only. This is not secure identity checking or a formal multi-person approval; no review has taken place yet.

P10-C01 Awaiting expert review
In the first Naskh section of this manuscript, free-standing alifs measure 4.85–6.14 page dot-heights by page (median of 14 page medians 5.37; 300 alifs).
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 34–47 (ff. 15b–22a), section 'qalam al-naskh ayḍan ṭarīqatuhu' · open
- One later copy 'in the manner of' Ibn al-Bawwāb.
- Dot = height of a finished dot mark, not the treatise rhombus.
- Page medians vary more than the stability tolerance.
Proposed: Naskh practice template: alif height — not justified yet. The range is too wide for one fixed value; kept descriptive.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Images 34–53 fetched at native resolution from the institution's public IIIF service; contact sheets checked by eye
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with MP-ALIF-DOT v2; every coordinate stored
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P10-C02 Awaiting expert review
In the second Naskh section ('al-muʿtād'), alifs measure 5.54–6.06 page dot-heights by page (median of page medians 5.8; 140 alifs). Not pooled with the first section.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 48–53 (ff. 22b–25a), section 'qalam al-naskh al-muʿtād ṭarīqatuhu' · open
- Different heading and larger dots on image 48; may be a different model or size of Naskh.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Images 34–53 fetched at native resolution from the institution's public IIIF service; contact sheets checked by eye
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with MP-ALIF-DOT v2
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P10-C03 Awaiting expert review
Alif outer width is about one page dot-width (page medians 0.91–1.15).
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 34–47 · open
- Bounding-box width includes slant.
- Does not give the nib width or angle.
Proposed: nib width — not justified yet. A finished mark's width is not a nib setting.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Images 34–53 fetched at native resolution from the institution's public IIIF service; contact sheets checked by eye
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Measured with MP-ALIF-DOT v2
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P10-C04 Awaiting expert review
The number depends on the dot unit: the same alifs measure about 7 units when the dot is taken as the side of an equal-area square instead of its height. The two units are reported separately.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Images 34–53, all included alifs · open
- Neither unit is the treatise dot.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Images 34–53 fetched at native resolution from the institution's public IIIF service; contact sheets checked by eye
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Compared both units on every alif
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):
P10-C05 Awaiting expert review
With the existing Naskh nib, the engine's alif is 0.681 of its own dot's width; the manuscript's is about 1. The engine reproduces a requested height exactly but not this width relation. No setting was changed.
Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan … al-Ṭībī al-Shāfiʿī (colophon, fol. 50b), A work on calligraphy (examples 'ṭarīqat Ibn al-Bawwāb'), Experiment EXP-NASKH-ALIF-01, reference image 40 alif #1 · open
- Nib width and angle are separate properties that a page cannot establish.
Proposed: nib angle / width — not justified yet. Needs separate evidence about the pen, not a letter proportion.
Reviewer: none yet
History (4)
1. 2026-10-22: not-researched → source-located · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Record found
2. 2026-10-22: source-located → source-inspected · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Rendered with the unchanged Naskh defaults
3. 2026-10-22: source-inspected → observation-recorded · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Compared rendered geometry with measured boxes
4. 2026-10-22: observation-recorded → awaiting-expert-review · Lovable agent (software, not a calligraphy reviewer) · Submitted for review; no qualified reviewer has been assigned
Record a reviewer's decision (kept on this device only, not a secure approval):

Next level: letter pairs and words

See which form each letter takes and where the word breaks into connected groups. Joining follows the Unicode standard (verified); letter shapes shown are a computer font — a typographic reference, not a calligrapher's model.

Pairs:

Words:

بب

1 connected group(s): بب

ب Start of word
ب End of word

Phrase compositions (level C) are not added yet: no openly licensed, sourced reference compositions are available. Use Free mode above for independent practice.