IRCICA made theoretical and applied presentations on the arts of Islamic calligraphy and illumination at Dar al-Qalam affiliated to the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during a program, organized under the auspices of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy on 3 September 2024. The program was attended by art experts and artists, together with government representatives. Mr. Said Kasımoğlu, Chief of the Arts and Handicrafts Section of IRCICA, informed the audience on the activities and experiences of IRCICA in the field of development of arts and handicrafts in the Muslim world. The Calligrapher Davut Bektaş, Jury member of the triennial IRCICA International Calligraphy Competition (the 12th ongoing), who was a first-prize winner at the first competition held in 1986, gave an extensive lecture on the evolution of the quality of works and the competences of artists over the decades, showing examples of awarded works from early and recent rounds of the competition. The program continued with a comprehensive lecture by the Illuminator Necati Sancaktutan, who introduced the art of illumination with its principles, methods and materials and demonstrated various applications relating to motifs, composition and style.
