Abdullah Zühdi Efendi
1836–1879 · Damascus & Cairo
Abdullah Zühdi, who traced his descent to the Companion Tamim al-Dari, was probably born in Damascus around 1836 and came to Istanbul with his family by way of Kütahya. After lessons with Eyyûbî Râşid Efendi he became a pupil of Kazasker Mustafa İzzet and wrote thuluth and naskh in his manner. He taught calligraphy and drawing at the Nuruosmaniye writing school and the army engineering school. Sultan Abdülmecid chose him to write the inscriptions of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina; over about seven years he wrote bands of jali thuluth on its dome drums and walls, which remain in place. He also designed the inscription of a Kaaba rain spout sent by the same sultan. He later settled in Cairo, where he designed inscriptions for the Kaaba curtain and belt, banknote lettering and the inscriptions of the Sabil Umm Abbas (1867). He died in Cairo in 1879.
Achievements
- Wrote the jali thuluth inscriptions of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina for Sultan Abdülmecid; they are still in place (TDV).
- By length, no other calligrapher wrote as much jali thuluth (TDV); Arabic Wikipedia gives over 2,000 m.
- Designed the inscription of a Kaaba rain spout presented by Abdülmecid (Khalili Collections).
- In Cairo designed inscriptions for the Kaaba curtain and belt; his stencils stayed in use into the 20th century (Khalili).
- The Sabil Umm Abbas in Cairo (1867) carries a band with his name.
- Wrote banknote lettering and official inscriptions in Egypt and supervised calligraphy teaching in schools.
Taught by: Eyyûbî Râşid Efendi, Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi
His work
1848–1849 · Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
about 1855–1856 · Khalili Collections, London
Photo: Khalili Collections, Wikimedia Commons (Khalili Collection Hajj and Arts of Pilgrimage cal 0300.1.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0 igo (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo)
These are the works in open collections that can be attributed with certainty.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
Write in this tradition now →Living calligraphers you can buy from — signed originals on paper, from AED 550: Anwar Alhulwani (Thuluth) · Ahmed Alhawary (Jali Thuluth, Naskh) · Rasha Kasim (Kufi) — or every Thuluth piece the store makes: Thuluth collection.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'ABDULLAH ZÜHDİ EFENDİ': origin, teachers, Medina inscriptions, Egypt, death 1879 islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- Arabic Wikipedia: 1251–1296 AH, Medina details (7 years, over 2,000 m), Sabil Umm Abbas, burial ar.wikipedia.org
- Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities: Sabil Umm Abbas (1867) band naming 'Abd Allah al-Zuhdi al-Nabulsi' egymonuments.gov.eg
- Khalili Collections: Medina work (seven years), Kaaba rain spout, curtain and belt, death in Cairo 1879 khalilicollections.org
- Wikidata item wikidata.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).