Joumana Medlej is back at the Arab British Centre with a new course open to calligraphers and artists of all levels (including beginners!).

In this one-day workshop you will learn all about the Abjad numerals (hisāb al-jummal): their origins, how they came to be replaced with today’s Indian system, and how the continued use of abjad in special contexts preserves early features of the Arabic script. You will practice writing numbers using the 28 Arabic letters, dismantle a few myths, and look at a few Kufi styles devised to write tiny numerals. You’ll finish by applying these new skills to fill out a paper astrolabe, to then take home.

This course is open to all. Knowledge of the Arabic script is helpful but not necessary. All materials will be provided. Optionally, students who wish to ink their astrolabe in class should bring a black fineliner (0.2 or 0.3 mm) or other means to make fine black lines.

Note: This workshop is based on Joumana’s book Stories of Abjad. For those who wish to delve more deeply into the topic, copies will be available on the day at a discount.

About Joumana Medlej

Joumana Medlej is an artist from Lebanon whose connection with early Arabic calligraphy was awakened by years spent working with master calligrapher Samir Sayegh in his Beirut studio. She specialises in the Kufi scripts, roughly corresponding to the Abbasid era, and in the materials of the time, having abandoned store-bought paints for the old ways of natural colour-making. She studies both scripts and art technology directly from primary sources, and is now drawing on her practitioner’s experience to translate medieval Arabic manuals and bring the voices of past masters to a general audience. 

Joumana has pieces in private and public collections from California to the Middle East. She teaches Kufi calligraphy at the Arab British Centre and related workshops in various institutions. 

Photo caption: Mater of an astrolabe made by Muhammad ibn Sa`id as-Sabban, Guadalajara, 1081/2 AD. History of Science Museum, Oxford, inv.52473. Photo by Joumana Medlej