Sayyid Hassan Mirkhani (Siraj al-Kuttab)
1912–1990 · Tehran
Sayyid Hassan Mirkhani, known by the title Siraj al-Kuttab, was an Iranian nastaliq calligrapher and poet. He was born in Tehran in about 1912 (1291 in the Iranian calendar) and learned calligraphy first from his father, Sayyid Murtaza Husayni Barghani, who followed the style of Mirza Muhammad Reza Kalhor. He also wrote naskh, thuluth, talik, riqa, rayhan and shikasta, but his reputation rests on nastaliq in both small and large sizes. With his brother Sayyid Hossein Mirkhani he was among the founders and leading teachers of the Iranian Calligraphers Association. He copied whole books of Persian literature, including the Kulliyat of Saadi, the Masnavi of Rumi, whose text he also helped correct, the Khamsa of Nizami and the Divan of Hafez. He wrote poetry under the pen name Bandeh. His students included Fathali Vashqani, Jalil Rasouli and Gholam Hossein Amirkhani. He died in Tehran on 26 November 1990.
Achievements
- Known by the title Siraj al-Kuttab.
- Among the founders and leading teachers of the Iranian Calligraphers Association.
- Copied the Masnavi of Rumi in nastaliq and helped correct its text.
- Wrote out the Kulliyat of Saadi, the Khamsa of Nizami and the Divan of Hafez.
- Wrote poetry under the pen name Bandeh, published as Divan-e Bandeh.
- Honoured with his brother Hossein at a 2008 exhibition of nastaliq masters in Iran.
Taught by: his father, Sayyid Murtaza Husayni Barghani
Taught: Fathali Vashqani, Jalil Rasouli, Gholam Hossein Amirkhani
His work
Died in 1990: the works are still protected by copyright, so we show them only with the permission of those who hold the rights.
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 Nastaliq piece the store makes: Nastaliq collection.
Sources
- fa.wikipedia: title Siraj al-Kuttab; born 1291 SH Tehran; died 5 Azar 1369 SH Tehran; father and teacher; scripts; founder of the ICA; books copied; Masnavi correction; pen name Bandeh; students; 1387 SH honour fa.wikipedia.org
- ar.wikipedia: Arabic name; nastaliq for about fifty years; 23 works in his hand incl. Saadi, Hafez, Rumi; d. 1410 AH / 1990 ar.wikipedia.org
- Hamshahri Online, 10 Aug 2021 ('Famous calligraphers of Rey'): younger son of Sayyid Murtaza (pupil of Kalhor); Siraj al-Kuttab; Divan-e Bandeh; died aged 77; buried at Imamzadeh Abdollah, Rey hamshahrionline.ir
- Tehran Times 2020: Amirkhani learned nastaliq from Hossein Mirkhani and his brother Hassan tehrantimes.com
- Wikidata: born 1910 Tehran, died 26 Nov 1990 Tehran 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).