DAMASCUS, SANA — Adnan Sheikh Othman is one of the most prominent Syrian and Arab calligraphers.
His self-driven artistic journey began in Homs and led him to international acclaim.
He earned 13 global awards—most of them first-place—especially in major competitions in Turkey, where he competed against more than a thousand calligraphers from around the world.
Entirely self-taught, Sheikh Othman developed an independent artistic identity, though the lack of formal instruction extended his learning path. He studied the works and manuals of renowned masters like Muhammad Badawi Al-Dirani and Hashim Al-Baghdadi, developing his own style.
He mastered various script styles, including Thuluth, Naskh, Diwani, and Kufic, through indirect mentorship and rigorous study.
Sheikh Othman believes Arabic calligraphy bridges both craft and art, serving as a deep expression of cultural and aesthetic identity. He attributes the international success of Syrian calligraphers to the Syrian people’s openness, love of beauty, and rejection of rigid artistic constraints.
Now in his sixties, he hopes Syrian calligraphers will receive the same recognition at home that they have earned abroad. He concluded his remarks with a poem of his own, honoring Syria’s late masters and affirming that “the eloquence of the hand completes the eloquence of the tongue.”
Khadega/Abdul
