Khatt: Egypt’s Calligraphic Landscape Noha Zayed, photographer; Basma Hamdy, editor; various contributors Saqi February 2019 Contemporary non-fiction From prehistoric paintings on rocks and cave walls to the hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt to present-day graffiti, humans have felt compelled to decorate their environment with a durable record of their experiences, ideas, and beliefs. These symbols document the evolution of human history. Khatt ’s specific focus on the progression of Arabic lettering calligraphy of Egypt is declared on page 4 in the foreword: During the Pharaonic times, writing was considered the language of the gods, and writing in the Middle East still retains this spiritual connection to the invisible and divine world beyond… this book attempts to examine and underline the social and symbolic power of Arabic lettering… its integral role in the construction of contemporary Egyptian visual culture. Captivating in arrangement, composition, sc