Mohamed Zakariya

Islamic Calligrapher

Mohamed Zakariya is a classically trained Islamic calligrapher. Born in California, he received icazets (diplomas) in Islamic calligraphy under the auspices of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture in Istanbul, Turkey, and was the first Westerner to do so. Since settling in the Washington, D.C., area in 1972, Zakariya has traveled frequently to Turkey and the Persian Gulf and has exhibited and lectured extensively in this country and abroad. Known for his design of the “Eid Greetings” U.S. postage stamp, he concentrates primarily on classical Arabic and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy. Recent experience includes a stint as artist-in-residence at the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art in Honolulu; solo exhibitions at the Institute for Works on Paper, San Francisco, the Bellevue (Washington) Arts Center, and the Asia Society, New York; and group exhibitions in Dubai and Kuwait.

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