Amiri Font
A masterpiece of digital Arabic typography, the Amiri font revives the elegance of classical Naskh script. Designed by Dr. Khaled Hosny, it is inspired by the Bulaq Press typefaces of the early 20th century, offering unparalleled authenticity and readability for traditional and contemporary use.
Distinctive Features of Amiri
Meticulously revives the beauty of early 20th-century Naskh typefaces, notably those from the Bulaq Press, ensuring authenticity.
Designed for extended reading, making it a prime choice for books, academic papers, and religious texts like the Quran.
Includes a vast range of characters, ligatures, contextual alternates, and diacritics for accurate Arabic and Quranic typesetting.
Maintains consistent stroke thickness and balanced negative space, reflecting the grace of traditional calligraphy.
Features specific glyphs and OpenType features tailored for rendering Quranic text with accuracy and reverence.
Available in Regular, Bold, Slanted, and Bold Slanted, offering versatility for complex typographic hierarchies.
The Story of Amiri: A Legacy Reborn
The Amiri font, released by Dr. Khaled Hosny in 2011, is not merely a digital typeface but a dedicated effort to revive and preserve the rich heritage of Arabic Naskh calligraphy. Its name pays homage to the Amiri Press (Al-Matba'a Al-Amiriya) in Bulaq, Cairo, established by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1820. This historic press was pivotal in the modernization of Arabic printing and became renowned for the beauty and quality of its Naskh typefaces.
Dr. Hosny meticulously studied the letterforms produced by the Bulaq Press, which were themselves rooted in the aesthetics of Ottoman Naskh calligraphy. The goal was to create a font that captures the spirit and elegance of this tradition while leveraging modern OpenType technology for sophisticated typographic control. Amiri successfully bridges this gap, offering features for complex script requirements, including full vowelization, a wide range of ligatures, and specialized glyphs for Quranic text.
As an open-source project, Amiri has benefited from community contributions and has become a cornerstone for high-quality Arabic digital text, widely used in academic publishing, religious texts, and by designers seeking authentic Arabic typography.
Amiri Alphabet Showcase
Amiri in Action: Text Examples
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Basmala, a ubiquitous phrase in Islamic tradition, opening most chapters of the Quran. Amiri's clarity and traditional Naskh style make it ideal for such foundational texts.
Ideal Use Cases for Amiri
Religious Texts & Quranic Publications
Its traditional Naskh forms and dedicated Quranic features make it the gold standard for rendering sacred Islamic texts.
Academic Publishing & Scholarly Works
Excellent legibility and formal tone are ideal for books, journals, and research papers in Arabic studies.
Formal Documents & Certificates
Lends an air of authenticity and gravitas to official documents, diplomas, and invitations.
Classical Literature & Poetry
The elegant proportions beautifully complement the richness of classical Arabic prose and poetry.
Projects Requiring Cultural Authenticity
Perfect for designs that aim to convey a strong sense of Arabic heritage and tradition.
Digital Content with a Traditional Feel
Despite its classical roots, Amiri is highly readable on screens for websites and e-books needing a traditional touch.
Technical Specifications
Dr. Khaled Hosny
An Egyptian physician and type designer, renowned for his contributions to Arabic open-source fonts. Dr. Hosny is also involved with the HarfBuzz text shaping engine.
Open Source (The Amiri Project)
Amiri is a free and open-source project, encouraging widespread adoption and contributions from the community.
2011 (Initial)
The font has undergone continuous development and improvement since its first release.
liga, dlig, calt, salt, fina, medi, init, mset, ss01-ssXX, quran (for Quranic marks), numr (Mashriq digits), etc.
Extensive OpenType support allows for precise typographic control and culturally accurate text rendering.
Arabic (including extended characters for Persian, Urdu, etc.), Latin (basic support for compatibility)
Primarily an Arabic typeface but includes basic Latin glyphs for multilingual contexts.
SIL Open Font License 1.1
Permits free use, modification, and distribution, fostering its use in diverse projects globally.