In the narrow streets of Historic Jeddah, where coral stone buildings bear centuries of trade, faith, and migration, Arabic calligraphy is once again being reimagined as a living art form. The second edition of the Dar Al Qalam Residency Programme unfolds in Historic Jeddah (Al-Balad), reaffirming the city’s enduring role as a crossroads of culture in the Middle East.
Launched by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy, an initiative of the Saudi Ministry of Culture, the residency brings together Saudi and international artists for an intensive eight-week programme dedicated exclusively to Arabic calligraphy and its contemporary expressions.
Hosted at Al-Falah Schools, the residency situates artistic experimentation within a site of deep educational and social significance. This setting underscores one of the programme’s core premises: that calligraphy is not a relic of the past, but a dynamic practice shaped by knowledge, transmission, and place.
Participants were selected by a specialised committee of artists and scholars, chosen for their artistic rigor and their engagement with the evolving language of the Arabic letter. Their practices span traditional scripts, abstraction, installation, digital media, light-based works, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence—demonstrating how calligraphy continues to expand beyond ink and paper.
Under the curatorial direction of Abdelrahman Elshahed, supported by assistant curator Layal Algain, Dar Al Qalam offers a structured yet exploratory framework. Studio practice is complemented by workshops, critique sessions, lectures, and research-based activities, alongside field visits through Al-Balad that ground contemporary production in historical context.
What distinguishes Dar Al Qalam within the regional cultural landscape is its singular focus. As the only residency devoted entirely to Arabic calligraphy, it positions the art form not merely as decorative or spiritual, but as a critical visual language capable of addressing identity, technology, memory, and modernity.
Equally central is the programme’s public dimension. Talks, guided tours, and workshops invite audiences into the process of making, while an open studio at the residency’s conclusion allows the public and media to engage directly with the artists’ work. This openness reflects a broader shift in Middle Eastern cultural institutions toward accessibility, dialogue, and community participation.
Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the National Culture Strategy, Dar Al Qalam contributes to a wider effort to support creative practice, nurture artistic research, and reposition traditional art forms within global contemporary discourse. In Historic Jeddah, where lines of history are etched into architecture and streets, the residency reasserts the Arabic letter as a site of continuity, innovation, and cultural confidence.
The second edition of Dar Al Qalam runs until 16 January 2026, marking another chapter in the evolving story of Arabic calligraphy in the Middle East.
