عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Many Join Saudi Online Platform to Teach Arabic Calligraphy

Alkhattat Platform courses allow Arabic calligraphers to excel and cultivate their creativity
Alkhattat Platform courses allow Arabic calligraphers to excel and cultivate their creativity
TT
TT

Many Join Saudi Online Platform to Teach Arabic Calligraphy

Alkhattat Platform courses allow Arabic calligraphers to excel and cultivate their creativity
Alkhattat Platform courses allow Arabic calligraphers to excel and cultivate their creativity

The Ministry of Culture announced its launch of the first electronic platform to teach Arabic calligraphy and Islamic decoration, with support from the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, under the title “Alkhattat Platform” (Calligrapher Platform).

The electronic platform will be supervised by a group of professional calligraphers from the Kingdom and the Arab world. Through the platform, they will teach the basics of Arabic calligraphy, its arts, and methods via training courses, projects, and professional workshops.

Nasser Maymoun, a prominent Saudi calligrapher, praised the initiative put forth by the culture ministry especially after Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan having announced that 2020 would be designated as the “Year of Arabic Calligraphy.”

Maymoun said that it is a great start to presenting the work of Arabic calligraphers and it is part of promoting Islamic and Arabic heritage.

The platform offers various training courses, including professional courses in the types of Arabic calligraphy, explanation of the alphabets and how to combine them, writing the words and expressions, improving handwriting, training in making calligraphic paintings and artwork in Arabic calligraphy, letter formations, gilding, Islamic decoration, drawing and coloring, the art of paper marbling and Ebru (needle art).

The platform will also give the trainee the opportunity to develop Arabic computer fonts by learning designs and programming fonts.

Alkhattat Platform founder Mohammed Al-Sharqawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that it was important to keep up with technological advances.

Sharqawi revealed that, due to the coronavirus, the Year of Arabic Calligraphy was extended until 2021.

He added that the platform first launched in 2018 and has over 19,000 users from 30 different countries around the world. Top tier calligraphers have joined the platform and were selected to teach.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

US Bans Red Food Dye over Possible Cancer Risk

Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
TT
TT

US Bans Red Food Dye over Possible Cancer Risk

Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP

Outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced a ban on Red Dye No 3, a controversial food and drug coloring long known to cause cancer in animals.

Decades after scientific evidence first raised alarm, Red 3, as it is also called, is currently used in nearly 3,000 food products in the United States, according to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

"FDA is revoking the authorized uses in food and ingested drugs of FD&C Red No 3 in the color additive regulations," said a document from the Department of Health and Human Services, published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The decision follows a petition filed in November 2022 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy groups, which cited the "Delaney Clause" -- a provision mandating the prohibition of any color additive shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Notably, the FDA determined as early as 1990 that Red 3 should be banned in cosmetics because of its link to thyroid cancer in lab rats.

However, the additive continued to be used in foods, largely due to resistance from the food industry. Manufacturers of maraschino cherries, for example, relied on Red 3 to maintain the iconic red hue of their products.

It's also present in thousands of candies, snacks and fruit products.

The United States is one of the last major economies to take action on the dye. The European Union prohibited its use in 1994, with similar bans implemented in Japan, China, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

CSPI hailed the decision as overdue and expressed hope it would lead to further action against other potentially harmful chemicals in food.

"They don't add any nutritional value, they don't preserve the food -- they're just there to make food look pretty," Thomas Galligan, a scientist with CSPI, told AFP.

"There's growing discussion across the political spectrum about food additives and chemicals, which reflects ongoing failures by the FDA."