The Kufic calligraphic style in the titles of the suras of Mudejar and Morisco Qur’anic manuscripts

Abstract

This article examines the persistence and transformation of the Kufic calligraphic style in the sura titles of Mudejar and Morisco Qur'anic manuscripts. Through the analysis of 155 manuscripts preserved in Spain, produced between the 15th and 17th centuries, and the application of the digital tools ChatGPT and Google Colab, the study identifies stylistic patterns that reveal both the direct inheritance of the Andalusī calligraphic tradition and its evolution to their own style, which arose from the necessary adaptation to the new contexts. Although the Mudejar and Morisco Kufic preserves certain Andalusī features, it is distinguished, above all, by the incorporation of decorative motifs in some of its letters and by a remarkable stylistic diversity. This work proposes a classification of the different stylistic variants found in the titles of the Qur’anic suras. The study further reveals that every manuscript using Kufic was produced in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, so part of the analysis also focuses on the relationship between Kufic, the presence of ornamental elements, and the different places of production. Additionally, this calligraphic phenomenon is linked to other parallel Andalusī artistic traditions such as epigraphy.