ASV Codar (from ) is an

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

typeface developed by . It was designed as a simplified typeface, with one

vowels A vowel is a speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract, forming the nucleus of a syllable. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness a ...

as their own characters. ASV Codar was first released in two versions: a "pure" version with only 84 characters, and a "total" version with 23 additional characters. The typeface is used for

road signs Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduc ...

in Morocco.

History

Ahmed Lakhdar Ghazal first filed for a patent for his project in France in 1954. He submitted his idea to the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo in 1958, but it was rejected. ASV Codar was first released in two versions: a "pure" version with only 84 characters, and a "total" version with 23 additional characters. In 1958, when Lakhdar Ghazal's was serving as both general secretary of Morocco's National Commission for UNESCO and head of the Fundamental Education section of the Moroccan {{Interlanguage link, National Ministry of Education, Preschool, and Sports, lt=Ministry of Education, ar, وزارة التربية الوطنية والتعليم الأولي والرياضة (المغرب), fr, Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, du Préscolaire et des Sports (Maroc), ASV Codar gained the support of the Moroccan government, which employed it in its first national campaign against illiteracy. In 1960, the Moroccan government created the

Institute for Studies and Research on Arabization The Institute for Studies and Research on Arabization (, or ) is an institute dedicated to Arabization in Rabat, Morocco created by decree January 14, 1960. History In 1960, the Moroccan government created the Institute for Studies and Research ...

Mohammed V University Mohammed V University (, ) is a public university in Rabat, Morocco. It was founded in 1957 under a royal decree ( Dahir). It is the first modern university in Morocco after the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. It is named after Mohammed V of ...

for the development and modernization of Arabic, with Lakhdar Ghazal as its director. In 1975, an agreement with Morocco's Ministry of Education and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

provided funding for Lakhdar Ghazal's project.

References

Arabic typefaces Arabization Culture of Morocco