A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c19.s3.1

c19.s3.1

The Arabic alphabet in its various forms, as used for writing both the Arabic and Persian languages, is so well adapted for decorative purposes, as will be explained more fully in Chapter XIV, that almost every Muhammadan building of importance is freely adorned with texts from the Koran or other inscriptions arranged decoratively to form part of the architectural design, and often signed as the work of famous calligraphists. A good early Indian example of such calligraphic decoration is afforded by the great arch of the Ajmēr mosque (*ante*, Pl. XCI), where the outer line of writing is in the angular Kufic script, while the other lines are in a more rounded Arabic character.