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{{Short description|Script variety of Arabic calligraphy}}
{{About|Ottoman variant of calligraphy|Diwani (the right to collect revenue), or for the bureaucratic title in various Islamic countries and in the Punjab region|Dewan}}

{{Islamic Culture}}
{{refimprove|date=December 2009}}
[[File:Izzet 44.png|thumbnail|center|alt=Diwani calligraphy by [[Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi]]|Diwani calligraphy by [[Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi]]]]
'''Diwani''' is a [[Islamic calligraphy|calligraphic]] variety of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] script, a [[cursive]] style developed during the reign of the early [[Ottoman Turks]] (16th century - early 17th century). It reached its height of popularity under [[Süleyman I the Magnificent]] (1520–1566).

It was labeled the Diwani script because it was used in the Ottoman [[diwan (title)|diwan]] and was one of the secrets of the sultan's palace. The rules of this script were not known to everyone, but confined to its masters and a few bright students. It was used in the writing of all royal [[decree]]s, [[Financial endowment|endowment]]s, and [[Resolution (law)|resolution]]s. A Diwani text adorned with a tugrah, a complex calligraphic seal, represented the authority of the Sultan and the Ottoman state.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Osborn|first=J.R.|year=2009|title=Narratives of Arabic Script: Calligraphic Design and Modern Spaces|journal=Design and Culture|volume=1|issue=3|pages=289–306 |doi=10.1080/17547075.2009.11643292 |s2cid=147422407 }}</ref>

The Diwani script can be divided into two types:

# The '''Riq`a Diwani''' style, which is devoid of any decorations and whose lines are straight, except for the lower parts of the letters.
# The '''Jeli Diwani''' or clear style. This kind of handwriting is distinguished by the intertwining of its letters and its straight lines from top to bottom. It is punctuated and decorated to appear as one piece. The Diwani handwriting is known for the intertwining of its letters, which makes it very difficult to read or write, and difficult to forge.

[[Image:Jali.png|center|Jeli Diwani font]]

[[Image:Diwani Izzet al Karkuki.jpg|center|400px]]
Diwani is marked by beauty and harmony, and accurate small samples are considered more beautiful than larger ones. It is still used in the correspondence of [[Monarch|king]]s, [[prince]]s, [[President (government title)|president]]s, and in ceremonies and greeting cards, and has a high artistic value.

Mural artist and calligrapher [[Fatma Al Sharshani]] uses the script in her work, most notably in her mural ''Never Ending / Endless,'' which is located in Portland, USA.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-09-08 |title=Qatari Calligrapher Fatima Al-Sharshani Collaborated With Portland Street Art Alliance on a Mural of Evocative Arabic Writing |url=https://www.wweek.com/arts/2021/09/08/qatari-calligrapher-fatima-al-sharshani-collaborated-with-portland-street-art-alliance-on-a-mural-of-evocative-arabic-writing/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons|Category:Diwani style}}
* [[Islamic calligraphy]]
* [[Kufic]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Arabic language}}
{{Islamic calligraphy}}
[[Category:Arabic calligraphy]]
[[Category:Islamic calligraphy]]
[[Category:Culture of the Ottoman Empire]]


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