Najib Hawawini
1878–1956 · Damascus & Cairo
Najib Hawawini was born in Damascus in 1878 (1295 AH) and spent his working life in Cairo, where he died in 1956 (1376 AH). He served as calligrapher to King Fuad I of Egypt, and the Egyptian government called on him to compare handwriting and seals when their authenticity was in question. He also worked as a lawyer and translated legal texts from Turkish into Arabic. He wrote thuluth and the Persian hanging script, and in 1912 he published in Cairo a teaching book, al-Salasil al-dhahabiyya, on the Arabic and Persian scripts. A set of his specimens dated 1927 to 1929, with about eighty sheets and a booklet on royal diwani, is held at the Jafet Library of the American University of Beirut. The Lebanese calligrapher Kamil al-Baba studied with him, and Muhammad Husni is reported to have learned from him in Cairo. The Syrian historian Afif Bahnassi called him the last genius of Egyptian calligraphy.
Achievements
- Calligrapher to King Fuad I of Egypt.
- Appointed by the Egyptian government to compare handwriting and seals in authenticity cases.
- Published al-Salasil al-dhahabiyya fi ta'lim al-khutut al-'Arabiyya wa-l-Farisiyya (Cairo, 1330 AH / 1912).
- A collection of his specimens from 1927-1929 (about 80 sheets and a booklet on royal diwani) is kept at the Jafet Library, American University of Beirut.
- Worked as a lawyer and translated legal texts from Turkish into Arabic.
Taught: Kamil Salim al-Baba, Muhammad Husni (Muhammad Kamal Husni al-Baba)
His work
approved 1329 AH (1911) · printed copybook; owner not stated
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
1915 (as given on Commons) · Cairo; owner not stated
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
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
- Arabic Wikipedia: 1295-1376 / 1878-1956, calligrapher of King Fuad I, comparing handwriting and seals, Bahnassi quote, student Kamil al-Baba, al-Salasil al-dhahabiyya (Cairo 1330 AH) ar.wikipedia.org
- Wikidata: 1878-1956; born Syria, died Egypt; Commons category wikidata.org
- AUB Libraries online exhibit: Najib A. Hawawini 1878-1956, born Damascus, died Cairo, lawyer, translator, court calligrapher to King Fuad; 1927-1929 collection at Jafet Library online-exhibit.aub.edu.lb
- Baianat (book on Arabic calligraphy): Hawawini noted for thuluth and Persian/ta'liq baianat.com
- Arabic Wikipedia: Muhammad Husni learned from Hawawini; 1946 photo ar.wikipedia.org
- Commons category with the work files commons.wikimedia.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).