u/LosingFaithlessness

Reading about the Kufic inscriptions inside of the Done of the Rock (in Jerusalem), I've noticed that they have some features that are not found in "Primary" (i.e., "Mushafi") Kufic, e.g., the Arabic letter mim being represented as a circle embedded _within_ the baseline and the Arabic letters jim/h.a/kha being represented by a diagonal line (the upper portion of which points left) which is attached to the baseline at its midpoint in its initial form and bisects the baseline in medial form. Since the above features are found in "Fatimid" Kufic but not "Primary" Kufic, were the Dome of the Rock inscriptions actually an early form of "Fatimid" Kufic (which would mean that "Fatimid" Kufic was a contemporary of "Primary" Kufic -- if not older) or was it a different script altogether (from which "Fatimid" Kufic borrowed certain features)? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

It is a well-known fact that "pointing" is used when a given script doesn't have enough letters to represent all of the phonemes in a given language: the letterforms in the script are "reused" and "points" have to be added to distinguish consonants from one another. My question is, why did the Arabs in Mecca decide to use an Aramaic script that didn't have enough letters to represent all of the phonemes of spoken Arabic and in which the letters changed form depending on their position within a word, to ultimately record a "Message" supposedly given to them by Allah in _spoken_ Arabic, when there were already indigenous Arabic scripts that much better recording _spoken_ Arabic, since they actually had letters for all 28 phonemes of spoken Arabic, those letters never changed form (but could change direction), and did not need pointing or special vocalization marks because the letters were sufficiently distinct from one another to make pointing unnecessary and the "mutable" letters a, w, y could be used as "matres lectionis" (which made vocalization marks unnecessary, as well)? Why were these "Musnad-type" scripts abandoned in favor of a script (the precursor of the Arabic script) that was literally unreadable without "1001 dots and dashes?

I'm not sure anyone can answer this, but -- since face-to-face interaction with a mentor is almost universally considered to be the best way to learn Arabic/Persian scripts -- are there any calligraphers in the United States who can serve as a mentor for someone interested in learning the Nastaliq or Ottoman "Ta'lik" scripts in the United States (or must one travel to Turkey or Iran to find such persons)? I'm asking this because, although I do have both parts of Ustad Ali Rouhfar's text on the Nastaliq script ("Nuqteh"), I am not sure whether he is teaching/accepting new students (and the only other person I know of who has taught this script in the U.S. -- the venerable Mohamed Zakaria Hoça -- has, in fact, retired from teaching). In any case, input from knowledgeable persons would be greatly appreciated.

Tafi Script is a largely a priori (or, at least, a very abstract a posteriori) writing system, developed in Nigeria by Musa D. Abdullahi in 1970 (a full 10 years before the so-called "Elian Script") and it was developed to be a single, "common," script that could be used by the three major African languages of that nation (i.e., Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba) as well as to write in English -- and even be used as a numbering system (and thereby promoting objectives of higher education, as well as national unity). This script is well-attested to by such websites as the "Atlas of Endangered Alphabets" (endangeredalphabets.net) and Writing Systems Technical Resources (formerly scriptsource.org), as well as papers posted on scribd.com and even peer-reviewed scholarly publications in the field of linguistic anthropology (found on websites like Researchgate.net). Materials explaining the theoretical principles, origins, and development of the Tafi Script are also available via Musa Abdullahi's webpage. Relevant links are provided below.

Tafi Writing Book

Musa Abdullahi's Webpage

Atlas of Endangered Alphabets (entry on Tafi)

A peer-reviewed book chapter available at Researchgate.net

Writing Systems Technical Resources (formerly scriptsource.org)

Does one have to write the Kufi murabba ("square Kufi") script so as to fill up the entire space of a grid, or can it be written out as a line that can actually be read without difficulty?

I've noticed a lot of new scripts being published on this subreddit, but how does one prevent an unscrupulous person from copying one's work (e.g., a post containing all of one's letter forms)?