Hamid Aytaç
1891–1982 · Diyarbakır & Istanbul
The last Ottoman master — and the first of the revival. When Turkey's 1928 alphabet reform ended official Arabic script overnight, Hamid kept a tiny sign-shop in Istanbul and simply refused to stop. For five decades every serious student in the world found their way to that shop: the certificate chains of nearly all living classical calligraphers pass through him. He wrote mosque domes, Qur'ans and thousands of panels, bridging the empire and the internet age in one lifetime.
Key works: Şişli Mosque inscriptions; countless ijaza chains of today's masters.
Images of his works are under copyright review — shown when cleared.
Achievements
- Wrote the mirrored jali thuluth composition over the door of the Şişli Mosque, Istanbul.
- Wrote the dome inscriptions of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, Istanbul.
- Wrote the inscriptions above the mihrab and at the centre of the main dome of Kocatepe Mosque, Ankara.
- Wrote two complete Qur'ans; the first was printed in 1974, the second in 1986.
- IRCICA's first international calligraphy competition (1986) was named after him.
- Gave icazets to Hashim Muhammad al-Baghdadi (1950) and to Hasan Çelebi.
Taught by: Mustafa Âkif, Hilmi Bey, Vâhid Efendi, Abdüsselâm Efendi, Mehmed Nazif Bey (Hacı Nazif Bey), Kâmil Akdik, Emin Yazıcı, İsmail Hakkı Altunbezer, Mehmed Hulusi Yazgan (Hulusi Efendi)
Taught: Mustafa Halim Özyazıcı, Hashem al-Baghdadi, Hasan Çelebi, Fuat Başar, Hüseyin Kutlu, Yusuf Dhannun, Uthman Taha
His work
Hamid Aytaç died in 1982, so his works are still protected by copyright. We will show them here only with the permission of those who hold his rights.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
Write in this tradition now →Write in Thuluth yourself, free: the Thuluth calligraphy generator · your name in Arabic calligraphy
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, 'AYTAÇ, Hamit' by M. Hüsrev Subaşı (1991): birth name, teachers, signatures, career, works, award, 1986 competition, death 19 May 1982, burial in Karacaahmet near Şeyh Hamdullah islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- English Wikipedia: born 1891 Diyarbakır, died 18 May 1982; students Hasan Çelebi, Fuat Başar, al-Baghdadi, Hüseyin Kutlu en.wikipedia.org
- Turkish Wikipedia: dates, 'Azmi' signature, students tr.wikipedia.org
- Arabic Wikipedia: Arabic name, icazets to Hashim al-Baghdadi (1950, 1952), Yusuf Dhannun (1966), Othman Taha (1973); death 24 Rajab 1402 / 18 May 1982 ar.wikipedia.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).