A total of 16 Muslim-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia, presented the nomination to UNESCO.

It was a proud moment for the Arab countries on Tuesday, as, Arabic calligraphy was added to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

After a collaboration of 16 Muslim-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia, a nomination was presented to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, which announced the listing on Twitter.

“Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty,” read UNESCO’s website.

“The fluidity of Arabic script offers infinite possibilities, even within a single word, as letters can be stretched and transformed in numerous ways to create different motifs,” it further said.

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan also welcomed the decision and commented that it would contribute to developing this cultural heritage. “We welcome the inscription of Arabic calligraphy, which is the result of the Kingdom championing this treasured aspect of authentic Arabic culture,” he said.

Calligraphy has played a fundamental role in the advancement of the Arabic language throughout history, besides its importance of usage in religious texts and books. It has always served as a symbol of the Arab-Muslim world.

For centuries, Arabic calligraphy has contributed to the transfer and spread of Arab culture, customs, and religious values.

Even today, Arabs preserve the very art in various practices— be it traditional or in varied contemporary ways. The artform is extremely popular and continues to be used by artists and designers across a broad range of media, including paintings, sculptures and even graffiti, or “calligraffiti” as it is known.

The addition of Arabic calligraphy to the UNESCO list is a fitting end to the year-long celebration of the art form. Besides Calligraphy, other cultural treasures connected to the Arab regions in the list include Al-Ardah Al-Najdiyah, a traditional dance from the Central Region, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, a form of interior wall decoration created by women in the Southern Region, Almezmar, a group dance from the Western Region, Arabic coffee, date palms, falconry, and majlis—a place for a community gathering to discuss events and issues.