Ammar Khatib

Simple Illustrated Guide to The History of Arabic Dotting for Beginners Ammar Khatib

The written script of Arabic presents a mesmerizing array of diacritical marks and symbols, including dots above and below letters, as well as short dashes and other symbols. This work, entitled "Simple illustrated guide to the History of Arabic dotting" offers the first accessible introduction to beginners studying the Arabic language who are interested in learning how the current convention of dotting came about. In this guide, visual examples of ancient manuscripts will provide case studies to understand how dots were used to designate different letters, as well as the historical usage of dots to designate vowel sounds prior to the advent of the more familiar convention of dashes (tashkeel) still in usage today. Through this illustrated historical tour of the writing of the Arabic language the reader will gain greater familiar with a script that continues to captivate the hearts and minds of so many around the world today.