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Intangible heritage

Intangible heritage refers to the traditions, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities or groups identify as part of their cultural identity. Often referred to as living cultural heritage, it can take various forms such as oral traditions, performing arts, social rituals, knowledge about nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship.

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Being a designer of Afghan background, I wanted to find a design solution to the problems of the endangerment of intangible cultural heritage of Afghanistan as I believe that this is a viable method of helping the people of the country. The act of passive preservation such as recording and documenting the intangible heritage is not as effective as it treats the craft as a monumental entity. Whereas, active preservation such as carrying the crafts through experimentation, practice and using the art forms is a more effective way as it physically keeps the art forms alive.

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Since the Cold War in 1978, ongoing civil unrest, now under the Taliban regime, endangers Afghanistan's cultural heritage. Museums are looted, sites and artifacts destroyed, including the Taliban's deliberate demolition of the world's largest Buddha statues in Bamiyan. This destruction extends to numerous artefacts and crafts, leading to persecution of artisans and a decline in the region's once-vibrant intangible cultural traditions. Artists, fearing for their safety, turn to physical labour for survival amidst conflict and uncertainty.

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One form of intangible cultural heritage of Afghanistan is calligraphy. The art of calligraphy is a centuries old practice with many different styles of the Arabic and Persian calligraphy being developed by court calligraphers in Afghanistan. The two main forms of calligraphy styles were known as Square Kufic and Nasta’liq.

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Square Kufic writing, derived from Arabic Kufic, initially served to preserve the Qur'an. Developed in the 11th century in Ghazni, Afghanistan, it evolved due to linguistic differences from Arabic. The Mongol Khans, following the 12th-century Mongol Conquest, adopted an Eastern Kufic style, integrated into the Phagspa script for the official imperial seal. This adoption was influenced by the style's imposing appearance.

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Nasta’liq calligraphy was inspired by birds’ wings and the flow of water. The calligraphers wanted the writing which usually poetry and the Qur’an, to mimic birds wings’ and water to make it seem like fluid movement as the writing was usually poetry and Quran. Nasta’liq became the more popular form of calligraphy as it was more legible and fluid. This calligraphy style was often used in royal documents, books, paintings and architecture such as the Taj Mahal in India which was made by the Central Asian Mughals.

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UNESCO globally safeguards an average of 5 intangible crafts per country. However, in Afghanistan, a nation where cultural heritage is endangered due to decades of war and neglect, the organisation preserves only 3 intangible crafts—a 37.37% deficit compared to the global average. This underscores the urgent need for enhanced protective measures to secure Afghanistan's rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage before they face extinction.

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Through practicing Afghan calligraphy, I aim to actively preserve the centuries old significant intangible cultural crafts of my heritage by learning and cultivating this endangered craft.

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Official seal of Mongol Empire in 12th century 

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Official seal of Mongol Empire in 12th century 

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16th century Nasta’liq calligraphy in a miniature painting

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16th century Nasta’liq calligraphy in a miniature painting

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Square Kufic tile-work on a Shrine in Herat, Afghanistan