At 03:54 10/26/2002, xeeniseit wrote:

>I'm going to learn Arabic, but I've a problem about the writing. I know
>the shapes of the letters, but I've no idea about how I must analyse
>them into simple pen movements. I don't know, for example, which way to
>begin the curl of mediate mim; whether (and how) emphatic ta and za are
>written in one draw or with breaking the draw and restarting it etc.
>Does anybody know of an internet site where this is explained in
>details? Thanks in advance,

I don't know of any Internet sites, but there is a recent booklet by
Mustafa Ja'Far that give very basic information about stroke structure in
Arabic calligraphy, usually focused on the naskh style. See

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0071400443/ref=pd_sbs_b_2/102-8739798-6132148?v=glance

However, the best way to learn to write Arabic is to study with an
experienced Arabic calligrapher. There really isn't any substitute: a book
cannot provide feedback on your progress, and no books I have looked at
explain all the different ways in which letters may join in the various styles.

John Hudson

Tiro Typeworks www.tiro.com
Vancouver, BC tiro@...

It is necessary that by all means and cunning,
the cursed owners of books should be persuaded
to make them available to us, either by argument
or by force. - Michael Apostolis, 1467