Muhammad Abduh (calligrapher)
1901–1981 · Alexandria
Muhammad Abduh was an Alexandrian calligrapher, born in 1901. He learned from established masters but did not attend a calligraphy school until he needed a diploma for a government post. He then enrolled at the calligraphy school founded in Alexandria by Muhammad Ibrahim, and earned its diploma in 1942, ranking sixth in Egypt. Arabic Wikipedia, citing the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's survey of Egyptian calligraphy, also calls him Muhammad Ibrahim's first teacher. Abd al-Fattah al-Tawil Pasha, a leading Wafd politician, chose him as calligrapher for the Egyptian Railways; he later worked for the Survey Authority, as a handwriting expert for the courts, and as a free calligrapher. He was known above all for writing in gold leaf on glass, and many of these pieces remain in Alexandria; before his death he gave many of them away. He died in 1981.
Achievements
- First teacher of the Alexandrian master Muhammad Ibrahim.
- Diploma in Arabic calligraphy, 1942, sixth in Egypt.
- Calligrapher for the Egyptian Railways and the Survey Authority, and handwriting expert for the courts.
- Known for writing in gold on glass; many such pieces survive in Alexandria.
Taught: Muhammad Ibrahim
His work
He died in 1981, so his calligraphy is still under copyright (life + 50 years); no works are shown.
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
- Arabic Wikipedia (citing Khalid Azab and Muhammad Hasan, Diwan al-khatt al-'Arabi fi Misr, Bibliotheca Alexandrina 2010): born 1901, diploma 1942, posts, gold on glass, first teacher of Muhammad Ibrahim, died 1981 ar.wikipedia.org
- Wikidata: Egyptian calligrapher, 1901-1981, Alexandria 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).