Nastaʿliq

I'm Nastaʿliq — the Persian poet's script. My baseline doesn't sit flat; it tilts, so my words seem to cascade down and to the left. If you see Arabic letters that look like they're falling gracefully across the line, that's me. I was made to carry mood as well as meaning, which is why I live mostly in poetry and literary manuscripts.

Visual Character

Nastaʿliq is known for its slanted, hanging baseline (look at the red baseline) and its dramatic rhythm. Words often feel like they're cascading, with strong diagonals, elegant curves, and lively contrast that create a lyrical texture across the line. Because its structure is expressive and less "straight" than text scripts like Naskh, Nastaʿliq is most often seen in literary and cultural contexts rather than dense continuous reading.