A teaching journey in pictures
From teaching to the ijaza
How the craft passes from the master’s hand to the student’s: from the first meeting with Belaid Hamidi to the classroom and the correction of the mashq, the practical workshops and finally the ijaza ceremony.
Beginnings: learning from Belaid Hamidi
«My path in calligraphy was never a mere accumulation of scripts learned, but a gradual journey of receiving, practising, being corrected and finally the ijaza. My ongoing bond with my master Belaid Hamidi rooted a method built on observation and imitation, then close review of letters, proportions and composition — until one can judge one’s own work and grasp the foundations of the craft.»
2014First meeting with Belaid Hamidi in Fez 2014Beginning to learn through the traditional ijaza 2017Ijaza in the Maghrebi scripts (Mabsout, Mujawhar, Maghrebi Thuluth) and in Ruq‘a 2024Ijaza in Diwani …Learning continues towards further ijazas
The teaching method
«My experience did not stop at receiving and personal practice; it gradually turned towards training and passing on what I had learned. I relied on gradual progress, observation and imitation, then practice, individual correction and continuous guidance — so that learners come to understand the letter, its proportions and composition, and can assess their own work.»
- 1Observe
- 2Imitate
- 3Correct
- 4Practise
In class: practical lessons and individual correction of the mashq
From reed pen to panel: preserving, practising, producing, passing on
The traditional ijaza programme (Hamidi method)
The training path
- 1ReceivingObserving and staying close to the master
- 2ImitatingCopying the master’s models
- 3PractisingContinuous training
- 4CorrectingLetters, proportions, composition
- 5MasteringIndependence and self-assessment
- 6The ijazaThe certificate of merit
Ijaza programme sessions: practice and correction Individual practice and follow-up in class
The ijaza ceremony
The ijaza is presented at a formal gathering in six stages, closing with prayers and a celebration of the licensee.
1
Presenting the work
The student presents the pieces produced during training.
2
Assessment
The work is reviewed for letters, proportions and composition, and the master confirms the level reached.
3
Writing the ijaza
The master writes the ijaza with the licensee’s name and date, sometimes with the chain of transmission.
4
Signing
The master signs as the grantor; other masters present may countersign.
5
Presenting the ijaza
Presented at a ceremony, as a testimony of merit — not a mere certificate of attendance.
6
Continuing the chain
The ijaza is not an end but a new stage: continuing to learn and taking responsibility for passing on the craft.
29 ijazas granted to 19 calligraphers at the July 2024 ceremony
Workshops and training
Alongside the core paths, practical workshops cover making tools and ink, preparing paper and composing a panel.
Materials and tools
Knowing traditional materials, preparing them, and understanding how paper, ink and pen shape the stroke.
Making the piece
From text to finished work: choosing the text, layout, script, ornament, colour, signature and finishing.
Experimenting
Exploring the Arabic letter visually and sculpturally while keeping its character.
Preserving the craft
Reconnecting calligraphy with its historic crafts: material, tool, technique, training and creativity.
Moroccan ornament programme: from theory to practice Workshops in natural paper, ebru and burnishing paper Workshops in hurufiyya, panel-making, ink and tools
Writing the Qur’an and reviving manuscripts
The Centre placed the writing of the Qur’anic text at the heart of its training: children, young people and adults practise it under the masters’ supervision, with continuous follow-up and careful correction. The path extends to copying Maghrebi and Andalusian manuscripts. The aim is not merely to reproduce the original, but to understand how our written memory was made — and to pass it on to a new generation.
Workshops writing the Qur’anic text: script, ruling and ornament, under supervision Group practice sessions following a gradual method of follow-up and correction Qur’ans, manuscripts and works tied to Maghrebi and Andalusian written heritage
Source: “From the Master’s Hand to the Student’s Hand” — Thanoon Centre, 2026
Only general class and workshop photos are shown; close-ups of children are not published.