TEHRAN -- The first exhibition of Mir Emad's calligraphy, the most famous Nasta'liq calligrapher of the 11th century A.H. who was a contemporary of Shah Abbas of the Safavid dynasty, will be displayed at the Mir Emad Manuscript Museum.

According to the information office of the Cultural Heritage Organization, the calligraphy works of Mir Emad and also some of the rare calligraphy works from the Golestan Palace, and Reza Abbasi Museum and works from private calligraphy collections will be displayed at the School of Love exhibition, which opens on World Museum Day (May 18).

Mir Emad Al-Hosseini Seifi Qazvini is one of the most famous calligraphers of the 11th century A.H. He was born in 961 A.H. and was murdered in 1024 A.H. He studied science and calligraphy in Qazvin and then traveled to Tabriz, the Hejaz and various parts of the Ottoman Empire. Later, he returned to Iran and began working in the court of Shah Abbas I.

He was known for his spirituality and mysticism, and this brought him to the attention of Shah Abbas. But then some envious people ruined his reputation in the court. As a result of this, he withdrew from the court in order to maintain his dignity.

Shah Abbas later ordered the coppersmith Maqsoud Beig to kill Mir Emad. He was buried in the Maqsoud Beig Mosque in Isfahan by Mirza Aboutorab, who was one of his students.

For the past four centuries, no one has been able to rival Mir Emad in the Nasta'liq style of calligraphy. His calligraphy has been a model for calligraphers of later periods.