Mashq is one of the oldestcalligraphic forms of theArabic script. At the time of the emergence ofIslam, this type of writing was likely already in use in various parts of theArabian Peninsula. It is first attested during the reign of caliph Umar, making it one of the earliest forms of Arabic script, along withHijazi andKufic. It was used in most texts produced during the first and second centuriesafter the Hijra.

In Arabic, مَشَقَmashaqa means "to stretch out"^[2] and the name مَشْقmashq references the fact that the letters د ,ص ,ط ,ك, and ى (as well as their dotted counterparts) are written stretched out. Mashq calligraphy is also notable for the shortened intervals between words.

The Arabic term for this script spread as aloanword throughout the Muslim world as the Arabic writing system spread. For example, mashq is known asmeşk in Turkish and is practiced by present-day calligraphers.

• Ancient North Arabian script
• Ancient South Arabian script
• Hijazi script
• Kufic
• Muhaqqaq
• Naskh
• Persian calligraphy
• Rayhan
• Tawqi
• Thuluth

• Mashq Sample Calligrapher:Mehmed Şevki Efendi
• Qur'anic fragment dated to 107 AH / 725 CE, now in theEgyptian National Library

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