موسسه انتشارات دانشگاه تهران نشریه هنرهای زیبا: هنرهای تجسمی 2228-6039 31 3 2026 09 23 Analysis of the design and legibility of the Kufic inscriptions of Hawqalah (La Hawl) in the 10th to 13th centuries AH تحلیل طراحی و خوانایی کتیبه‌های بناییِ حَوقَلِه (لا حول) در سده‌های دهم تا سیزدهم هجری 79 92 103540 10.22059/jfava.2025.396710.667499 FA مهرناز رضایی تاجانی کارشناس ارشد هنر اسلامی (نقاشی ایرانی،) گروه هنر اسلامی، دانشکده حفاظت و مرمت، دانشگاه هنر ایران، تهران، ایران. 0009-0005-5848-6335 سعید خودداری نائینی دانشیار گروه مطالعات موزه، دانشکده حفاظت و مرمت، دانشگاه هنر ایران، تهران، ایران. 0000-0003-3063-7611 Journal Article 2025 06 22 Banna’i, also known as Square Kufic or Ma’qili, is a form of Islamic calligraphy used in the inscriptions of religious places, which have been implemented with different designs and dimensions. The earliest surviving example observed so far of the Banna’i Script is the wooden window of the tomb of one of the Imamzadehs (Shrines) in Iran dated 363 A.H. However, the Kufi script evolved in the 5th and 6th centuries A.H due to the flourishing of bricklaying and tile-making, and during the era of Ilkhani, Timurid and Safavid eras, it experienced its peak of prosperity and its use in decorating religious monuments can still be seen today. Although the majority of researchers believe that the Banna’i Script is seen in architectural decorations, including the inscriptions on the internal and external surfaces of religious buildings and is rarely seen in manuscripts, many examples of the squared (Banna’i or Ma’qili) script arranged in decorative patterns on paper, have been seen in the manuscripts of the Timurid, Safavid and especially Ottoman period. In a way, the harmony of this script with the form of brick has made it one of the frequent arrays in the decorations of holy architectural buildings, which always reminds of divine themes and remembrances. The design of Banna’i inscriptions has patterns and rules that are used for proper visual structure and readability. However, studies on the principles of designing Banna’i inscriptions remain limited and scattered. The famous phrase "Wa La Hawl" or "Hawqalah" is also one of the motifs of Banna’i inscriptions; for which various definitions and applications have been mentioned in different sources. Various designs of " Hawqalah" masonry inscriptions from the 10th century A.H can be seen in the existing examples of the architectural decorations of Iranian buildings. By examining the " Hawqalah" architectural inscriptions during the aforementioned period, six cases belonging to the Isfahan region were identified as existing and studyable examples. They were observed in the Hakim Mosque, the Jame Mosque, the Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) School, the Nim Avard School, and the Sayyid Mosque. However, it seems that in some cases, including examples designed in the present era, these rules are not properly followed and the letters of the alphabet and Banna’i inscriptions are drawn incorrectly and with an incorrect pattern. One reason could be the lack of certain patterns and principles for the design of Kufic script and related inscriptions. The aim of this research is to analyze the rules and methods of designing "Hawqalah" architectural inscriptions and understand how they are networked in the form of Banna’i Calligraphy, so that by achieving a correct and practical pattern, designs appropriate for religious buildings can be recreated based on previous patterns. The research method in the study is descriptive with an analytical approach, and in terms of its objective, it is fundamental. Information was collected through library and field observation and the results were presented qualitatively. Different stages of analysis and design have been conducted using "Corel Draw" design software. In this process, while identifying historical examples of this inscription in architectural decorations; Its design patterns were examined and the networks used in their types were analyzed, and based on the principles of beauty and readability, in addition to criticizing some of the modern examples, several cases were presented. The analysis focuses particularly on the relationship between geometric structure, visual balance, legibility, and the functional requirements of inscriptions within architectural contexts and their adaptation to historical architectural surfaces and contemporary restoration practices. The findings show that the design of the "Hawqalah" architectural inscriptions is based on three types of geometric grids with line angles of 90, 45 and 50 degrees and observing the space of literacy and bayaz. By examining the ratio of literacy to bayaz in the samples, it was determined that in most of them, the literacy and bayaz units have the same dimensions, which has led to visual order. However, in the example of "Sayyid Mosque", the units, especially in the bayaz section, have been reduced to smaller scales, namely half a unit or a quarter of a unit; which has led to diversity in design, accuracy in composition and adaptation to the infrastructure. Also, in this study, four general layouts for designing "Hawqalah" in the form of a building line were identified. This process can be used in the restoration of architectural decorations of historical sites or the implementation of new and proposed inscriptions in contemporary buildings, by obtaining patterns for arranging the words of this phrase in a design that is both accurate and beautiful. The completeness of the selected phrase and the perfection of the alphabet in the text, as well as the modularity of the drawing, were considered by historical designers, and this issue should also be considered in the restoration of inscriptions and new architectural designs. خط بنایی از خطوط مورداستفاده در کتیبه نگاری بوده که با طراحی های مختلفی در ابنیه تاریخی اجرا شده است. عبارت «لا حول و لا قوه الا بالله العلی العظیم» که در اصطلاح به «لا حول» یا «حوقله» موسوم است، از نقوش پرتکرارهای بنایی است و بر اساس نمونه های موجود در تزیینات کتیبه‌ای معماری ایران، از سده دهم هجری به بعد دیده می‌شود. با بررسی کتیبه‌های بنایی «حوقله» در بازه زمانی مذکور، شش مورد متعلق به منطقه اصفهان به‌عنوان نمونه‌های موجود و قابل‌مطالعه، شناسایی شدند. بااین‌حال، مطالعات انجام‌شده در زمینه اصول ترسیم کتیبه‌های بنایی، همچنان محدود و پراکنده است. هدف این پژوهش، تحلیل قواعد و شیوه طراحی کتیبه‌های بنایی «حوقله» و فهم نحوه شبکه بندی آن‌ها در قالب خط بنایی است؛ تا بتوان با دستیابی به الگوی صحیح و کاربردی، طرح‌هایی متناسب با ابنیه مذهبی را بر اساس الگوهای پیشین بازآفرینی نمود. روش گردآوری اطلاعات به صورت کتابخانه ای و مشاهده میدانی، با رویکرد توصیفی‌- تحلیلی بوده؛ که نتایج آن به طور کیفی ارائه شده است. یافته‌های پژوهش نشان می‌دهد که طراحی کتیبه‌های بنایی «حوقله»، بر پایه سه نوع شبکه هندسی با زوایای خطوط 90، 45 و 50 درجه و رعایت فضای سواد و بیاض استوار است. با بررسی نسبت سواد به بیاض نمونه‌‌ها مشخص شد که در اکثر آن‌ها، واحدهای سواد و بیاض دارای ابعاد یکسان هستند و این امر منجر به ایجاد نظم بصری شده است. بااین‌حال، در نمونه «مسجد سید» واحدها به‌ویژه در بخش بیاض به مقیاس‌های کوچک‌تر یعنی نیم‌واحد یا ربع‌واحد تقلیل یافته‌اند؛ که موجب ایجاد تنوع در طرح، دقت در ترکیب‌بندی و انطباق با زیرساخت شده است. همچنین در این مطالعه، چهار چیدمان کلی برای طراحی «حوقله» در قالب خط بنایی شناسایی شد. این فرآیند می تواند با دستیابی به الگوهایی برای چینش کلماتِ این عبارت در طرح، به نحوی که هم صحت نوشتار داشته باشد و هم زیبایی، در مرمت تزیینات معماری اماکن تاریخی و یا اجرای کتیبه های نوین و پیشنهادی در بناهای معاصر، به کار آید. https://jfava.ut.ac.ir/article_103540_e04efbe5b8c1081a2f19d0176b450172.pdf