The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy By. Alain GeorgeHardcover: 244 pages Publisher: Saqi Books (24 May 2010) Language: English ISBN 13: 978 0863566738 The birth of Qur'anic calligraphy was a major event in the early history of Islam. In a few decades, it raised the Arabs and their language from the remote fringes of the civilised world to its very heart. Alain George brings together manuscript, mosaic, architecture and text to reveal the evolution of Arabic calligraphy from its pre Islamic conception