Arabic fonts are beautiful but hard to find. I never thought to search for Arabic fonts could be so complicated but it was. I wanted a true Arabic font, not the usual Arabic style font selection that you can find on all font sites and I hardly found a place where a large number of them can be found. I’ve put them in this article in case anyone else needs to download Arabic fonts for design projects or just to observe the Arabic calligraphy fonts available.
Free Arabic fonts Andalus Arabic Typesetting A Nefel Adeti A Nefel Botan A Nefel Sereke B Arabic Style B Arshia. B Jadid B Koodak Outline Diwani Letter Kacst Book Kacst Title PakType Naqsh Traditional Arabic Thabit Simplified Arabic Premium Arabic fonts Kohinoor Arabic Kohinoor Arabic is part of Kohinoor Multiscript, a sans serif superfamily covering many of India’s official writing systems. This Arabic font typeface is ideal for text-heavy multilingual projects, including corporate design; editorial design; electronic-embedding in apps; navigation and signage systems; product instruction manuals; television subtitling; or UI/UX. Kohinoor Arabic’s clear, inviting, and easy-to-read letterforms are drawn in the Naskh style, with large and open counters. The vowel mark shapes aren’t fussy. Stroke contrast is low, but there is still some modulation at junctures, keeping typographic color from getting too dark Palatino® Arabic Molsaq Arabic A multilingual type family that features a modern Arabic Naskh with very short descenders and ascenders, which matches with a full-caps Latin counterpart. Molsaq is an Arabic script font perfect for setting applications that require tight leading, such as posters, hence the name, which means poster in Arabic.
With 1050 glyphs, Molsaq Pro supports Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Kurdish, it also supports more than 60 languages that use the Latin script. Molsaq Pro comes with many Opentype features such as stylistic alternates, ligatures, swashes, and small caps. Molsaq Latin includes all the Opentype features and the full languages support, except for the Arabic script. While Molsaq Arabic doesn’t include Opentype features and only support the Arabic script. Diodrum Arabic Diodrum Arabic is a low-contrast Naskh family with six weights.
The typeface has been optimized for corporate identity work, editorial design, and UI/UX projects. Arabic typically places a stronger emphasis on the horizontal than the Latin script does. Since both the Arabic and the Latin letterforms in Diodrum are monolinear, we have employed another method to increase the prominence of horizontality: the counterforms are large and open, and the letters’ middle sections are accentuated. Many of Diodrum’s strokes begin or end with lightly-sheared lines; these subtle angles add a trace of calligraphy back into the static language of sans serifs. The same is true for the typeface’s Arabic-script dots and marks. Find these great calligraphy fonts online.
Ostad Arabic If you are looking for Arabic fonts online, Oustad Arabic is designed by Naghi Naghashian. It is a Bold headline font, in 1 weight. This font is a contribution to the modernization of Arabic typography, gives the font design of Arabic letters real typographic arrangement and provides more typographic flexibility. Oustad Arabic supports Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. It also includes proportional and tabular numerals for the supported languages. Zapfino Arabic Zapfino Arabic is designed by Nadine Chahine as the Arabic companion to Hermann Zapf’s iconic Zapfino typeface, with the approval of Prof. The design is an evolution of Arabic calligraphic designs that combines Naskh and Nastaliq to form a backward slanted calligraphic style.
The character proportions refer to Naskh traditions but the isolated and final forms bring with them an exaggerated swash-like movement that references the extravagant ascenders and descenders of Zapfino. The font contains a large number of contextual variants that work to create a smooth flow of pen movement, as well as 10 stylistic sets. The character set supports the Arabic language as well as basic Latin.
Zapfino Arabic is meant to be used as a display typeface, for logos, greeting cards, and short headlines. It could also work for short pieces of text, for poetry or chapter introductions, when used in a generous type size and with ample space around it. Its design is soft and elegant and leaves a lot of room for typographic playfulness. DIN Next™ Arabic PF Nuyork Arabic™ Nuyork Arabic was designed to emphasize the individual Arabic letter visual traditional characteristics. Including 5 weights, it was designed with both text and display applications in mind. This font is intended to produce virtually cursive texts without eliminating the clarity or look-and-feel of the individual Arabic letters. Offering glyphs for the full Extended Arabic Unicode Standards 6.1, including the latest Arabic Supplement and Extended-A Unicode blocks, Nuyork Arabic incorporates comprehensive support for Quranic texts and other Arabetic scripts, including African sub-Saharan scripts.
Careful design considerations were given to make sure that composed Arabetic text is visually prominent and stands well next to Latin. To ensure legibility in all sizes, vertical strokes are emphasized when possible, while utilizing multiple x-heights to give a traditional Arabian look. PF DIN Text Arabic® This Arabic typeface is one of Parachute’s most involved text typefaces. For the first time -back in 2010- a contemporary Arabic equivalent to a comprehensive DIN series of fonts was available. In fact, this set of fonts contains the most complete and powerful array of Arabic features commercially today. It comes in eight weights and includes Latin. Based on the DIN Text Pro superfamily, Parachute® released -in collaboration with designer Hasan Abu Afash- 2 new versions.
DIN Text Arabic is the basic Arabic version which includes Latin and supports all variations of the Arabic script such as Persian, Urdu, and Pashto. The second version DIN Text Universal is the most advanced DIN superfamily ever. It combines the powerful DIN Text Pro with DIN Text Arabic bringing the number of glyphs to 3320 per font.
It is also enhanced with 30 advanced OpenType features and kerning for all languages. NaNa Arabic NaNa Arabic is a new creation of Naghi Naghashian. It was developed in 2012/2013 on the basis of specific research and analysis of Arabic typeface and definition of their structure. This innovation is a contribution to the modern Arabic fonts, giving the font design of Arabic letters real typographic arrangement and providing greater typographic flexibility. This step was necessary after more than two hundred years of relative stagnation in Arabic writing style. NaNa Arabic supports Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. It also includes proportional and tabular numerals for the supported languages.
The NaNa Arabic Font Family is available in four weights: Thin, Light, Regular and Bold. The design of this font family is inspired by two classic scripts: Kufic and Naskh. ITC Handel Gothic™ Arabic TC Handel Gothic Arabic is a modern Kufi design by Nadine Chahine, created especially for headlines and display purposes. It comes in 5 different weights ranging from Light to Heavy which extends its usage capabilities considerably. The design is mono-linear and with the typical geometric construction associated with the Kufi style. Its usage can vary from headlines to logos to packaging. Given its large counters, it can function quite well in very small sizes too.
Its pattern is quite homogenous, so it is not recommended to use this for whole paragraphs. The character set supports Arabic, Persian, and Urdu and also includes Basic Latin letters font styles. Before The Rain Arabic Univers® Next Arabic FF DIN Arabic® Swissra Swissra is an Arabic typeface that was inspired from Swiss graphic design. The motivation behind the typeface was to create a neutral and carefully crafted Arab fonts family that can be used on many different applications. Swissra also aspires to tribute the experience of Swiss graphic design and pass it on to the Arabic graphic design scene. Swissra features sharply cut terminals, which are either horizontal or vertical. It also features closed apertures and a high x-height.
Red giant pluraleyes for mac. It comes with eight weights, that range from thin to black and makes an excellent Arabic fonts download. Swissra Condensed Following the great success of Swissra, the condensed Arabian style font cut was designed on the same principles of Swiss graphic design. Originally Swissra was designed to create a neutral and carefully crafted Arabic font family that can be used on many different applications. Now it creates even more possibilities to help designers in applications such as signage and editorial design where the condensed cut is needed.
The typeface is one of very few Arabic condensed typefaces. Swissra Condensed comes in eight weights which range from Ultralight to Black. Abdo Master Abdo Master is a geometrical Arabic font style. This is an OpenType Font supporting Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and English.
The combination of modern Kufi and Geometrical styles and varying between straight and curved parts made it a beautiful typeface appropriate to the titles and text, and able to meet the desire of the user in the design of ads and modern designs of various types of audio and visual. It comes in fourteen weights from Thin to Black and Outline style. HS Alnada HS Alnada is a modern OpenType Arabic font download. It is a modern Kufi / Naskh hybrid and keeps the balance between its construction and calligraphic angular cuts. This typeface supports Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Kurdish variants and it is available in five weights: light, regular, medium, bold and black. They are refined with enhanced legibility and are ideally suited to advertising, extended texts in magazines, newspapers, book, and publishing, and creative industries, meeting the purposes of various designs for all tastes.
SF Mada Mada is An Arabian font for desktop applications, for websites, and for digital ads. Mada font family contains two weights: regular and bold. The font includes a design that supports Arabic and Latin languages. Mada typeface comes with many OpenType features including stylistic sets. Afeesh The Afeesh Arabic calligraphy generator is an attempt to create a solid and robust type of family, that is based on the Ruq’a calligraphy style.
Following the Egyptian style of drawing Ruq’a, which was very popular on movie posters during the 50s-70s. The typeface comes with an extensive set of ligatures and OpenType features such as swash and stylistic alternates. Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, in addition to Kurdish are supported. Abdo Line Abdo Line is a simple Naskh font. It provides one of the best Arabic fonts for books and magazines.
Accurate design and clarity of reading and writing space-saving, it comes in sixth weights: Thin, Light, Regular, Bold, Heavy and Black. This is an OpenType Font supporting Arabic, Persian, Urdu Languages and compatible with the various operating systems and modern software.
This font also contains many of Stylistic Sets, Ligatures and Justification Alternatives. HS Almajd HS Almajd is an Arabic calligraphy font, under “titles” category.
It is useful for book titles, creative designs, and modern logos. Also, it is used when a contemporary and simple look is desired that can fit with the characteristics of Kufi fatmic where horizontal parts are equal than vertical ones. The font is based on Kufi Fatmic calligraphy along with some derived ideas of decorative fonts, maintaining the beauty of the Arabic font and its fixed rates.
Undoubtedly, the insertion of curved ornament in some parts adds more beauty and fascinating diversity in the flow line between sharp, soft and curved parts. This font supports Arabic, Persian, Pashtu, Kurdish Sorani, Kurdish Kirmanji and Urdu, consisting only one weight which can add to the library of Arabic Kufic fonts contemporary models that meet with the purposes of various designs for all tastes.
Tanseek Modern™ Regular free fonts with an Arabic influence: Arab Dances Arabian Lamp XXII Arabian Onenightstand Afarat IBN Blady Alhambra Kara Ben Nemsi Pseudo Saudi Catharsis Bedouin FTF Ahlan Ve Arabez Running Smobble Mohammed Besmellah Now, let’s talk a bit about Arabic fonts and Arabic typography When you’re looking at how far back the origin of the Arabic script goes, we’re talking about the first alphabet created by the Phoenicians. They were living on the coastal areas of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. Since they were traders and they were sailing throughout the Mediterranean, their middle eastern font had an influence on all the cultures and nations in the Mediterranean. The Middle East was located at the center of the Ancient World, which also played a big role in the spread of the alphabet, and this is how the Phoenician alphabet is the mother of both Latin, and Arabic scripts, which are used for Arabic fonts today, as a base. If you’re looking for Arabian fonts today, the choices are many.
You will find anything, from an Arabic style font to Arabic script font, and even Arabic calligraphy fonts as well. Nowadays, most of the text typefaces that are available are based either on the or the style. Older styles, such as Diwani, Maghrebi, and Kufi, are found in display typefaces. We will discuss all of them below. Back in 1300 BC, the early alphabet had 22 consonants and no capital letters, and it was written from right to left. It was born in Byblos, on the coast of Lebanon. In 1000 BC, the Aramaic alphabet originated from the Phoenician one.
In 100 BC, the Nabatean script was born in Petra, north of the Red Sea, where Jordan is now. In 100 AD, the Syriac alphabet was created in Mesopotamia, and it originated from the Aramaic and had 22 letters. The early Arabic alphabet only began to appear in Kufa, Iraq, during the middle of the first century. The Old Kufi had around 17 letter forms, and no accents or diacritic dots. Later, they were added, primarily to help with pronunciation, resulting in the set of letters rising to 29, including the Hamza.
The driving force behind the unification of all these Arabic scripts was actually the Islamic font used in the Qur’an, as a consequence to the birth of Islam. One well-structured Arabic script, which had 29 letters, was developed for the holy scripts of the Qur’an, in the seventh century AD. The Qur’an was primarily written with the Quranic Kufi script, and the Quranic Naskh style afterward. Due to the Islamic conquests, the Arabic alphabet spread to all the Middle East, North Africa, and even some parts of Spain. Since this was the language of the Qur’an, and the language of God as a consequence, all occupied nations had to use the Arabic language.
In various Arabian cities, which had different writing tools and techniques, several Arabic calligraphic styles developed. Some of the most known ones include:. Kufi (Old Kufi, and Ornamented Geometric Kufi), whose name originated from the city of Kufa, Iraq. Thuluth, whose name originates from the names of the bamboo sticks that were used as tools for writing.
Diwani, and Diwani Djeli, which is the style that developed during the Ottoman Empire, and its name comes from the political documents, which are called “Diwan” in Arabic. Naskh, which is another one that appeared from the Ottoman Empire, and is named after the “naskh” action, when the scribes copied Arabic text.
Persian, which was named after the Persian language. Maghrebi, which is a stylized Kufi script, and a Moroccan font. Ruqaa, whose name comes from the leather, “Ruqaa”, on which the script was written. The Arabic alphabet has 29 consonants, and 11 vocalization marks, in the shape of accents. The structure has only 19 basic shapes, but the letters actually change their shape, according to the position in the word (which can be initial, medial, final, or isolated), and the resulting number of glyphs comes out at 106. There are 23 letters with four alternative shapes, as well as 7 with two alternative shapes. If you also add the two ligatures of Lam-Alef, that number rises to 108.
And, since the alphabet is also used in several non-Arab languages, there are even more alterations to the letter, in order for it to represent all the extra non-Arabic phonetics. This gives us a new number of glyphs, 130. And, the number of glyphs can increase even further if you add up the combinations within the letters if the typeface wants to mimic the Arabic calligraphy font script completely. So, according to the specific typeface, you can begin with 130 glyphs, and end up in the hundreds. The business demand for a specific language can vary, but you will find that nowadays, Arabic is one that is pretty busy.
It is, after all, the official language of 26 countries, the first language of more than 300 million people, and the second language of some 280 million more. You will find a lot of Arabic calligraphy font generators nowadays, depending on the historic period they’re focusing on, and a few other things. An interesting trend nowadays is the design of Arabic font styles that are tailored to match some English typeface that is already present. These are actually powerful fonts, that can be used to set both English style font, and Arabic, in harmony. One such option is The Sans Arabic by Lucas Fonts, as a part of their Thesis project.
Meanwhile, Linotype comes with an Arabic font around Neue Helvetica, and another one around Frutiger. These are two pretty modern Arabic fonts, that follow their Roman equivalents, as far as the harsh geometries go. They have a corporate feel, and if you want to use them for signage, they would be ideal.
They also include support for Farsi, as well as Urdu (although only in the form of Naskh). The problem: What are the limitations of today’s Arabic fonts?. Websites use fonts that aren’t standard. Therefore, the web designer can’t really guarantee that the website will look the same on different operating systems, devices, or resolutions.
Standards will guarantee browser support for 5 Latin-oriented font families (serif, sans-serif, cursive, manuscript, fantasy). For support on advanced devices, you should limit yourself to a set of 11 fonts at the most. The 5 font families and the 11 fonts aren’t relevant to Arabic. There is no guarantee for full Unicode support. An Arabic like font doesn’t really look good when scaled, they can look good on a specific size, but be unreadable on others. The ratio between English to Arabic glyphs in websites which are multilingual What should be done to solve this?.
Decide on a minimum set of Arabic writing fonts that should be used for designing websites. Document the best practices. Come up with a terminology list for the issue, for it to be properly discussed and documented. What does kerning and hinting mean in Arabic?. How are they relevant when you’re designing Arabic fonts?