Ahmed Kâmil Akdik

Ahmed Kâmil Akdik often used the titles al-hajj reʾīs al-khattâtīn (head of the caliligraphers). His given name was Ahmed, but he sometimes used the pen-name Hâşim. The majority of his works are signed Kâmil. He was a student of Sâmi Efendi (d. 1912), one of the greatest calligraphers in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. He was proficient in many scripts and worked in the government bureaucracy, in addition to teaching at the School for Calligraphers, the Galatasaray Imperial School, and the State Academy of Fine Arts. He wrote numerous architectural inscriptions in Egypt, where he lived for several years. His son was the painter Şeref Akdik (1899–1972), who also trained as a calligrapher.