Zulal Sema“The Qur’an was revealed in Mecca, recited in Egypt, and written in Istanbul.” This evocative Turkish saying captures the enduring legacy of calligraphy in Türkiye, where the art of the written word has long been interwoven with the nation’s cultural identity.
Yet, in a world awash with billboards, neon signs, and digital screens, how often do we pause to appreciate the beauty of a single, carefully crafted letter?
Calligraphy – an art that once adorned palaces, mosques, and manuscripts – flourished after the conquest of Istanbul what was then known as Constantinople in 1453.
However, a shift to the Latin alphabet in 1928 marked a significant step away from Arabic calligraphy, which turned into a distinct vein known as Turkish calligraphy.
Turkish calligraphy artist Rumeysa Zeynep Kurtulus is now reviving the elegant script through her work. She invites us to explore the mysterious and captivating world of letters, deeply rooted in Istanbul’s calligraphic legacy and sustained through the innovations of Türkiye's founding calligrapher, Emin Barin.
Together with her master, Erhan Olcay, Kurtulus pioneered the rediscovery of the scattered works of Yilmaz Ozbek – Emin Barin’s esteemed student – with his first calligraphy exhibition in 2022, bringing overdue recognition to his contributions.
Atelier Kebikec
In an airy room filled with natural light beaming through the sky windows, Rumeysa Zeynep Kurtulus’ pen dances to the songs of British rock-band Queen and pieces by Iranian composer Mohsen Namjoo.
This is Kebikec, Kurtulus’ own atelier in Uskudar, which she opened in 2021, becoming one of the youngest Turkish female (aged 26 at the time) to own one.
It’s here that the two juxtaposed styles of music floating around Kurtulus, are also reflective of her art-style in blending cultures.
In some of her work, she flawlessly creates mesmerising pieces of beauty by marrying Turkish text with traditional Kufic font - a script popularised between the 7th and 10th centuries for its use in writing copies of the Quran.
This method isn’t new. It was introduced to the Turkish palate by the notable scholar and calligrapher Emin Barin (1913 - 1987).
“Barin reinterpreted Arabic calligraphy through the lens of Western Latin calligraphy, creating a unique Turkish style, " Rumeysa Zeynep Kurtulus tells TRT World.
As a pioneer in Turkish calligraphy, Barin, aged 24, travelled to Germany to pursue his calligraphy, typography and bookbinding education in Latin text, before returning to Istanbul in 1943, when he had turned 30.
It would be a decade later, in 1953 that Barin became celebrated for contributing his unique calligraphic craft to Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
“Barin reinterpreted Arabic calligraphy through the lens of Western Latin calligraphy, creating a unique Turkish style"
His inscriptions at Anitkabir are renowned for their aesthetic elegance and historical significance, continuing calligraphic traditions with modern design principles.
Calligraphy and collective memory
Kurtulus too has followed in Barin’s footsteps in more ways than one. Last month, in June she travelled to the US as a young artist in her 20s, as her paragon had done so before although his journey was to Germany.
At the Roman Holiday conference in the US, celebrating calligraphy and the written word, Kurtulus became the first Turkish calligrapher to be both invited to the conference and awarded the Dancing Letters scholarship.
It was a significant recognition, an encouragement for her to continue developing her style of work, one that admirers say is reflective of modern Türkiye's deeply rooted history with the written script.
"Calligraphy is an essential part of Turkish culture and collective memory. In Istanbul, traces of calligraphy can be found everywhere," Kurtulus tells TRT World.
Kurtulus’s most recent work on display at her atelier is titled "Verba volant Scripta manent / Soz ucar yazi kalir," meaning "Words fly away, writing remains”. This phrase is featured across the artwork in Ottoman Turkish and Latin letters, with a central gestural script.
"This piece is significant to me," she explains, "because it emerged after watching a documentary about Türkiye's Alphabet Reform.”
Although calligraphy became prominent during the Ottoman period, thriving after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and further flourishing following the fall of the Mamluk Sultanate in 1517, there was a period of significant transition in 1928, in what became known as the alphabet reform Kurtulus mentioned.
“I used a grid system for the Latin letters and made the design of Arabic letters later due to their flexibility. “
A marked shift towards the Latin alphabet led the Turkish government to award scholarships for talented students to study abroad and enhance their skills. One such scholar was none other than Emin Barin.
Despite this change in text, Arabic calligraphy remained a distinct vein known locally as Turkish calligraphy.
Kurtulus’ piece amalgamates this unique dichotomy with skill.
“I used a grid system for the Latin letters, and made the design of Arabic letters later due to their flexibility. “
“The Arabic script at the top represents the Ottoman time, then the following Latin phrase symbolises the reform, and Turkish in Latin letters represents the time after reform."
Her structured approach towards her art may be a product of her professional studies in architecture, in which she completed a masters from Yildiz Technical University in 2022.
She attributes her education in the niche field to giving her a distinctive viewpoint and a designer's sensibility, which have been crucial to her growth as a calligraphy artist.
"Architecture mirrors the structure of a civilisation, and the evolution of writing, and literary culture represents its intellectual output. Therefore, as an architect and calligrapher, I am dedicated to preserving and continuing the legacy of this civilisation and its cultural heritage," says Kurtulus.
Genesis of creativity
Instead of following the conventional path expected from her professional studies, Kurtulus courageously pursued her passion in calligraphy, embarking on what she describes as an "extraordinary journey."
"Architecture mirrors the structure of a civilisation, and the evolution of writing, and literary culture represents its intellectual output. Therefore, as an architect and calligrapher, I am dedicated to preserving and continuing the legacy of this civilisation and its cultural heritage"
Inspired by films and music, Kurtulus channelled her passion into her calligraphy art, holding her first exhibition Range Khoda in 2017, the same year she completed bachelor's degree in architecture.
The multi-sensory display, titled after the Iranian director Majid Majidi's film of the same name, features art pieces that can also be seen through touch.
Mohammed, a visually impaired character in the film, had left a lasting impression on Kurtulus, "The unforgettable words of little Mohammed moved my pen," she recalls.
To honour him she captures his dialogue through multi-sensory calligraphy, creating accessible art that is both visual for sighted readers and tactile for the visually impaired.
She used a Braille embossed version known as Gofre in calligraphy, to write ‘Allah’, as a reflection of Mohammed's desire to find Allah through touch.
It was a year earlier that Kurtulus would study under the tutelage of the respected calligrapher Erhan Olcay and his team, a collective of artists dedicated to preserving the legacy of Emin Barin’s style of blended Latin calligraphy.
Olcay was trained himself by an apprentice of Barin. This chain in passing down knowledge and tradition through the ages continues in Kurtulus, among the last representatives of this prestigious calligraphy method.
She now fills her own atelier each week with selected students, encouraging them to join calligraphy workshops and experience various calligraphy styles, as she has done so herself.
One of her students tells TRT World, “Remember to take a breath in Kurtulus' meticulously crafted gallery-style atelier if you are weary while ascending the Uncular slope on your journey to Uskudar. Her profound understanding of letters, art history, and the diverse lives of calligraphy artists will surely captivate you.”
Kurtulus's work serves as an essential contribution to the art of calligraphy, inspiring the younger generation in Türkiye and ensuring that this rich tradition continues to thrive and evolve.
