Yāqūt al-Musta‘ṣimī

One of the most important of Islamic calligraphers, Yāqūt was a slave of and served as secretary to the last ‘Abbasid caliph, al-Musta‘ṣim Billāh, who reigned in Baghdad between 1242 and 1258. He is known for having radically reformed the style of "porportioned script," developed by Ibn muqla (885/6–940) and refined by Ibn al-bawwab (d. 1022). He was a master of the "Six Pens," referring to the classical scripts: thuluth, naskh, muhaqqaq, rayhan, tawqi, and riqa. Yāqūt is perhaps the most legendary of calligraphers and his works have always been greatly prized, which also means that there was always a brisk market for fakes. He and six of his students are known as “the Seven Masters.” They are known to have traveled throughout the Islamic world propagating Yāqūt's elegant style.