Mohammad Hossein Tabrizi () was a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

calligrapher in 16th-century

Safavid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

. Tabrizi learnt

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

from the famous

Ahmad Mashhadi Ahmad Mashhadi, also known as Mir Seyyed Ahmad, was an important Persian people, Persian Nastaliq calligrapher in the 16th century. He was from Mashhad. He was also a poet and some of his original poems still exist. Biography Mashhadi learnt cal ...

. He later became a teacher of the equally renowned

Mir Emad Hassani Mir Emad (born Emad al-Molk Qazvini Hasani (),‎ 1554 – August 15, 1615) is perhaps the most celebrated Persian calligrapher. He was born in Qazvin, Iran. It is believed that the Nastaʿlīq style reached its highest elegance in Mir ...

. Due to his great command in the art of calligraphy, a renowned profession in Iran, he was bestowed with the honorary title ''mihin

Ustad Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ''ustād'') is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, incl ...

'' ("greatest master"). His father

Mirza Shokrollah Isfahani Mirza Shokr Allah Isfahani () was a Persian statesman, who served as the chief accountant of the Safavid shah Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576), and later as the grand vizier of shah Ismail II (r. 1576–77) briefly from August 1576 to June 1577 then his ...

was the ''

mostowfi ol-mamalek Mirza Hasan Ashtiani (), commonly known by the bestowed title Mostowfi ol-Mamalek (; 1871 – 1932) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister on six occasions from 1910 to 1927. Early life Mostowfi al-Mamalek came from an importan ...

'' ("chief accountant") under Safavid Shah

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 until his death in 1576. He was the eldest son of Shah Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Tahmasp ascended the throne after the ...

(1524-1576), whereas he himself was vizier to Shah

Ismail II Ismail II (; born Ismail Mirza; 31 May 1537 – 24 November 1577) was the third shah of Safavid Iran from 1576 to 1577. He was the second son of Tahmasp I with his principal consort, Sultanum Begum. On the orders of Tahmasp, Ismail spent twenty ...

(1576-1577). After losing favour under Ismail II, he was forced to move to

Mughal India The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

, where he lived until his death. Tabrizi reportedly created inscriptions for the ''masjeds'' (mosques) and ''

khanqah A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...

s'' of

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

, but they have almost entirely been destroyed due to earthquakes that hit the city. After finishing these inscriptions, Tabrizi made the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

and on his return solely devoted his time to copying the masterpieces of

Persian poetry Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...

. A ''

divan A divan or diwan (, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan''). Etymology The word, recorded in English since 1586, meaning "Oriental cou ...

'' of the Persian poet

Amir Shahi Sabzavari Amir Shahi Sabzavari (also spelled Sabzevari, Sabzawari; died 1453) was a Persians, Persian poet who flourished in 15th-century Timurid Empire, Timurid Iran. He was descended from the Sarbadars of Sabzevar. He composed a response to the opening g ...

from Tabrizi's pen is located in the

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...

References

{{reflist 1577 deaths 16th-century calligraphers from Safavid Iran 16th-century Iranian painters Calligraphers from Tabriz Iranian emigrants to the Mughal Empire