Abdelmoula Najmi
b. 1913 · Chiadma
Abdelmoula Najmi was born in 1913 in the countryside of the Chiadma region of Morocco and later lived in Safi. He learned the Qur'an by heart as a boy and copied it in full in his own hand while still young. He has said that a rare family Qur'an, more than five centuries old and written in a striking hand, drew him to calligraphy. He moved between several centres of learning, from his home region to the Sahara, to study with scholars, and worked for years as a scribe and a farmer. Over his life he made more than five hundred pieces, in a personal style that blends Maghribi letters with drawing, architectural forms and Islamic and Amazigh ornament. He exhibited alone and in groups in Morocco and abroad, including a Moroccan calligraphy exhibition in Düsseldorf, and won several prizes, among them a second place in a Maghreb competition. In February 2020 Al Jazeera reported him, aged 107, as the doyen of Moroccan calligraphers.
Achievements
- Called the doyen of Moroccan calligraphers (sheikh al-khattatin).
- Copied the whole Qur'an by hand when young.
- Made more than 500 calligraphic pieces in a style mixing calligraphy, drawing and architectural forms.
- Solo and group exhibitions in Morocco and abroad, including a show of Moroccan calligraphy in Düsseldorf; several prizes.
His work
No works are shown: no death has been reported, and Moroccan copyright lasts 70 years after death.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
Open Mashq Studio →Living calligraphers you can buy from — signed originals on paper, from AED 550: Anwar Alhulwani (Thuluth) · Ahmed Alhawary (Jali Thuluth, Naskh) · Rasha Kasim (Kufi).
Sources
- Al Jazeera, 23 Feb 2020: aged 107, Safi, Chiadma, family Qur'an, 500+ pieces, exhibitions incl. Düsseldorf, Maghreb prize, scribe and farmer ajnet.me
- Safi Now: same facts, style mixing drawing and architecture safinow.com
- Arabic Wikipedia: born 1913, lives in Safi, doyen of Moroccan calligraphers ar.wikipedia.org
Written by the MASHQ studio · last updated 2026-10-05. Further reading, the standard references in English: Sheila S. Blair, Islamic Calligraphy (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) · Annemarie Schimmel, Calligraphy and Islamic Culture (New York University Press, 1984) · Yasin Hamid Safadi, Islamic Calligraphy (Thames and Hudson, 1978).