About the calligrapher
Master calligrapher Mohamed Amine Bouhid — Kingdom of Morocco
Biography
Mohamed Amine Bouhid was born in 1982 in Oujda, in eastern Morocco, and grew up in a learned, culturally rich environment. He memorised the Qur’an and its recitation at an early age — a solid foundation for his intellectual and spiritual formation. He holds a baccalaureate in traditional education and a diploma in teaching pedagogy, which allow him to combine artistic practice with teaching.
He studied under the great master Belaid Hamidi — one of Morocco’s most eminent calligraphers and a former teacher at the Royal College (al-Madrasa al-Mawlawiyya) — who granted him the ijaza in the Maghrebi scripts (Mabsout, Mujawhar, Maghrebi Thuluth) and in Ruq‘a. He also masters Eastern scripts such as Diwani and Jali Diwani, and is known as “the renewing calligrapher” for bringing tradition and contemporary forms together.
He has taught more than 380 students of all ages and levels, in person and online, in Morocco and abroad, and has licensed more than 47 calligraphers — the youngest aged 9, the eldest 74.
In 2016 he founded the Dhunnun Center for Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation in Oujda — the first centre in the Kingdom dedicated to teaching calligraphy. He went on to found the Oujda International Exhibition of Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation, which gathers calligraphers from around the world each year, and the Mohamed Amine Bouhid Gallery, Morocco’s first gallery devoted to calligraphy. He is among Morocco’s most prolific calligraphers.
Training and ijaza
- 2019Certificate in educational sciences and teaching pedagogy
- 2017Traditional ijaza in Mabsout, Maghrebi Thuluth, Mujawhar and Ruq‘a, granted by Belaid Hamidi
- 2003Traditional ijaza in Qur’an memorisation, fiqh, Qur’anic readings and tajwid
- 2003Baccalaureate in traditional education
Masters and references
- Belaid Hamidi — Morocco
- Dr Yusuf Dhannun — Iraq
- Hamid Aytaç al-Amidi — Türkiye
- Hasan Çelebi — Türkiye
- Prof. Ali Alparslan — Türkiye
Selected exhibitions
2025
“Hakaya Al Horouf” exhibition
Mohamed Amine Bouhid Gallery, Oujda
2024
Oujda International Exhibition of Arabic Calligraphy & Ornamentation – 1st edition
Oujda, Morocco — Founder, director and exhibitor
2024
Dhunnun Center pavilion, Maghreb Book Fair “Writing and Time” – 4th edition
Oujda, Morocco — Organiser
2023
Aqaba International Forum for Arabic Calligraphy – 6th “Hamid al-Amidi” edition
Aqaba, Jordan
2023
National exhibition “Tajalliyat Khattiya” – 3rd edition
Hassan II Mosque Foundation, Casablanca
2023
Fez International Festival of Arabic Calligraphy – 8th edition
Fez, Morocco
2023
“Splendours of Maghrebi Calligraphy”, with Banque Populaire Group
Oujda, Morocco — Organiser and exhibitor
2022
“8 March, 8 Women Calligraphers” – first show at the Institut français gallery, Oujda
Institut français, Oujda — Organiser
2022
Art of Mediation exhibition – 4th OIC Conference on Mediation
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — Exhibitor and coordinator of Moroccan calligraphers
2022
Oasis Cultures Festival
Figuig, Morocco
2022
“Maghrebi Calligraphy: Identity and Spirituality” – Ramadan 1443
Habous cultural complex, Oujda
2019
Solo exhibition “Harmony of Soul and Pen” – Night of Galleries
Mohammed VI Theatre, Oujda
2018
International Cultural Festival of Calligraphy, Miniature and Illumination
Algiers, Algeria
2016
1st National Exhibition of Arabic Calligraphy
Oujda, Morocco — Organiser and exhibitor
2015–2017
Fez International Festival of Arabic Calligraphy (3rd & 4th editions)
Fez, Morocco
2013
“Ishraqat al-Harf” exhibition
Hassan II Mosque Foundation, Casablanca
Talks and workshops
- 2023Talk: “The role of calligraphy in preserving the Arabic language” — Bouarfa
- 2022Talk: “Maghrebi calligraphy: history and characteristics” — Oujda
- 2022Workshops in Mabsout, Mujawhar and Maghrebi Thuluth — Oasis Cultures Festival, Figuig
- 2020Video series “Jewels of Arabic Calligraphy” and an online Mabsout workshop with Aqaba (Jordan)
- 2021–2023Workshops for schools, prison inmates, and the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Oujda
Awards and honours
[TODO] Add the list of awards and honours with their years.
Ijaza pieces
Ijaza in Maghrebi script, 2017 — Hilya in Maghrebi Thuluth, Mabsout and Mujawhar 
Ijaza in Ruq‘a, 2017 — Hilya 
Ijaza in Diwani, 2024 — closing verses of Surat al-Fath
