One of the major Islamic art forms is calligraphy. The Arabic script of verses of the Quran or other pious phrases and sayings is given the most remarkable shapes. Many of the results don't even look like writing any longer. Below are three examples. Click on each thumbnail image to view a full-size picture in a pop-up window.

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The picture on the left is of an inscription from a mosque in Azerbaijan. Although it looks like pure abstract geometric art, it's actually a verse from the Quran.

The picture in the middle is modern calligraphy along similar lines. I've always thought it looks a little bit like a maze. It too is a verse from the Quran, Surah al-Baqarat verse 255, popularly known as Ayat al-Kursi or the Throne Verse. This verse may be translated as God! There is no god except Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedes with Him save by His leave? He knows that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He wills. His throne includes the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.

The picture on the right is a modern style of calligraphic art in which the calligraphy forms part of a larger image.