Milkyroad. Qalam - making calligraphy reed pen for Arabic, Perisan, Urdu

Please see also :
How to make a quill pen • Quill How To Make Quil...
Liqa / Lighe - important tip for islamic calligraphy • Milkyroad Arabic and P...
Parchment / Vellum / Klaf - explanation • Vellum aka Parchment /...
The traditional tool used by professional calligraphers in the Middle East and by artists worldwide. Van Gogh created some of his drawings using a reed pen. Talmud says the Bible was written using a reed pen!
Qalam was also used in Europe during the Middle Ages, brought by the crusaders from the Holy Lands.
In the end of this video I wrote in Judaeo-Persian (aka 'Bukhari or Bukharian or jewish-tajik) 'bokhara-ye sharif' meaning 'the Noble Bukhara'. Then I wrote Arabic letters Alif, Ba, Jim, Dal and words Salam (peace) and Qalam (pen).
Arabic Alphabet is the second most widely spread after Latin. It is used - apart from Arabic in these languages:
Persian (aka Farsi, Dari, Tajik)
Pashto
Urdu
Azeri
Kurdish
Uyghur
Kazakh
Kyrghyz
Turkman
Uzbek
(The last four only outside of the former USSR)
Baluchi
Punjabi
Kashmiri
Sindhi
Salar
Hebrew alphabet today is used by Hebrew and Yiddish and Ladino languages. Untill relatively recent past it was also used for Jedaeo-Arabic and Judaeo-persian dialects.
Milkyroad Vidoes

[@Oowatanabe]

Thanks so much for the video. I'm in a Secret Santa pool, and I'm putting together a starter set for Arabic calligraphy. With the instruction book, the inkwell, and the book to decorate, I couldn't get a pen without going over the limit. However, I do have a cane grove in my backyard. Your instructions were very good, I was able to make a few to complete my gift. Thanks a million!

[@MaxMalkiel]

I am Tajik (which means Persian) from Tajikistan. Israelis call us 'bukharim' and our Persian dialect in Israel is called 'bukhari'. I wrote in Persian , not in Hebrew. In Iran , Afghanistan and Central Asia (all Persian speaking countries) the jewish people used to write this way, Persian language but Hebrew letters.

[@pajaroshantak]

Thanks a lot for your video. What about that little hole that is above the end of the nib? How do you crave it? Blessings

[@MaxMalkiel]

@DaalandRice Thank you ! Very interesting info. Some people say it's a turkish song, some say it's an Afghan Uzbek song, it is also very popular among jewish people . The beautiful thing about music, it doesn't care about politics or political borders etc.

[@Calligraphybybillgrant]

A very good demonstration of what we can achieve by making our own tools. Thanks. I shall pass this on.

[@LeavesofWinter]

your handwriting is pretty good. you wrote " Salam " and " Qalm " words in Al-Farsi font , wow!

[@DaalandRice]

that song played on the flute at the end sounds a lot like an arabic nasheed called Talama ashqu gharami. Thanks for sharing

[@MaxMalkiel]

Thank you for your kind words, brother. God bless you too!

[@omairhasan8827]

where can you buy bamboo or reed to make the qalam?

[@MaxMalkiel]

@themanbelowthewind Thank you for your question! The beauty of handmade pens is that you can 'tune' thm up to fit you. Please try making the nib thinner. Also perhaps your ink is too thick or the material you write on is not smooth. All these three factors matter. For smoother papers and thinner inks you should make a stronger, thicker nib. And vice cersa. I hope this helps.

[@MaxMalkiel]

@Tathakat I also use WHEELS in my bicycle. Please check if Ahmad Dari invented it? :)

[@mazin2892]

..where do you get bamboo from.. btw i live in london so if you know any websites or stores

[@MaxMalkiel]

Hi! In this video I wrote on parchment (vellum) so yes, it does require a special ink (jewish religious scribes use it and I buy it from them). But if you write on paper any ink will do as long as you use 'liqa' / 'lighe'. I've put a link to liqa video in the info under this video. Please watch it to find out. Good luck!

[@jazzflutist]

I notice it does nice sharp thin lines as well (if we imagine calligraphy consisting of fat lines and contrasting thin lines). I think your letters should be done slightly bigger/taller (usually 4-6 nib-widths high)? Very helpful video. Many thanks.

[@MaxMalkiel]

@LeavesofWinter Thank you for your kind words! It 's kinda Farsi, yes. I am a beginner in Arabic calligraphy yet.

[@MaxMalkiel]

@Tathakat :) you reminded me of an old Soviet joke. How would different peoples react if asked to write about elephants? Germans would publish a 38 volume 'Short Introduction to Elephant Studies', Americans would come up with a 'Everything about Elephants in 2 minutes'. The Soviets would print a book 'Russia is the Birthplace of Elephants' :)

[@eliasm.1853]

Could I get an answer as to what ink you’d recommend for this type of writing instrument? I’m not very familiar with using any kind of ink, I normally use SHARPIES and I am beginning to think there’s probably a better method of consecration than doing it over a manufactured pack of plastics.

[@MaxMalkiel]

Yes, sofrim (mainly sefardic) do use it for STaM.

[@MaxMalkiel]

@Oowatanabe I am very happy my video was helpful. Thank you for sharing this experience!

[@anthonyrobertantoun2537]

Hi are you from a arabic country because I am from leabanon

[@AaronfromQueens]

That was an excellent demo, except for the camera work! But I totally understood the lesson anyway, so thank you so much! Do you ever use anything inside the pen to act as an aid to the reservoir? Whenever I've tried to draw with these, I've found the main drawback is the reservoir's small capacity. There is a video on YT of Neils Shoe Meulman using a cut feather pen with a twisted piece of paper clip inside it.

[@IbnSaifi]

Did you use any special type of ink? Or just standard black fountain pen ink?

[@themanbelowthewind]

@milkyroadtube Hello friend. Could you name the type of paper for Arabic calligraphy, for example, glossy, glazed, smooth. etc. Is there a terminology which I can use to purchase such paper from stores. My problem is that when I write slowly, I lose my rhythm. Looking for some surface and writing pen where I can execute the stroke with ease, confidence and with easy flow.Thank you.

[@MaxMalkiel]

@AverroesIRL شکرا حبیبی Good luck with your calligraphy! Would be cool if you upload some of your work?

[@felinolog79]

Do you use normal ink? What's the diameter of this pen?

[@florinf]

Very useful. Thank you.

[@MaxMalkiel]

@mbro96 Hi, I am sorry for the audio quality. I'll try to fix it. In the meantime, don't be afraid to experiment. No two handmade pens are the same. Each calligrapher makes the pen according to her/his taste, preferences. I don't know about your country, here in England bamboo sticks are sold for next to nothing in 'home improvement' shops. People use them in their gardens to support the plants (like tomatos etc). Don't buy it from art supply shops and other rip-off-ers :)

[@MaxMalkiel]

@mbro96 You are very kind. Thank you!

[@themanbelowthewind]

Thank you very much. I made a few pens, but there seems so much friction when writing, I just cant have this smooth feeling. Could you advice? Regards!

[@thedictationofallah]

Use feather

[@themanbelowthewind]

@milkyroadtube Ok, I understand, thank you very much. I am a Chinese Calligrapher, but am very keen on Arabic, Korean and Sanskrit art now. Rgds!

[@Th3wobbler]

Were can I buy a reed pen

[@stnmrbl]

it used for ktav too ?

[@fayyrayy1378]

👍

[@dylanraulteokonetlnexkoyot5528]

What kind of paper is that? I see some sort of guidelines in it

[@TheThreatenedSwan]

+Dylan Raul “dyll131198” Teokonetl Nexkoyotl It just looks like regular paper, but for more formal writings, and for writing a torah, parchment (goat skin) is usually used, and it is usually scored like that

[@dylanraulteokonetlnexkoyot5528]

Thanks a lot

[@agoogleuser6679]

Thank you but did you realize how fuzzy it is? Hard to see what you are doing. Please consider making this again with louder volume and less focus loss. Maybe if you turn off auto focus and just keep your work a set distance from the camera, or if you set a focus location in the center so it must keep the center image crisp? I don't know but maybe it will help. Thanks for the information.

[@louisemiller2774]

Great information....but I can hardly hear you...and I am on the highest volume.....so, I watch the images.

[@thedictationofallah]

Why are you writing Hebrew?

[@242Hatem]

Thank's

[@MaxMalkiel]

@BILLGRANT43 Thank you!!!

[@95Attentat]

Merci !

[@meenutanwar4570]

marvoullous

[@MaxMalkiel]

אני תאג'יכי =פרסי ממרכז אסיה. בארץ הצברים יקראו לנו 'בוכרים'.

[@fidelyn1]

Good luck writing if you are left-handed!

[@MaxMalkiel]

@Tathakat Whatever you say, I plead guilty! I have horns and tail, eat children for breakfast, own the BBC and killed Jesus. Now, if you want to discuss calligraphy and/or cooking - be my guest! If you're into conspiracy theories please find another channel ! all the best!

[@MaxMalkiel]

שריף פירושו מכובד בלשון פארסי (וגם בערבית) ויקראו כן לעיר המהוללת בוכארא - בוכאראי שריף.

[@MaxMalkiel]

שמי יהודה אבל בדרך כלל קוראים לי מקס.

[@MaxMalkiel]

כתבתי בפרסית אך בכתב אשורי

[@Nikitos_3224]

Ты ведь русский

[@humzamughal6076]

Um I'm pretty sure that your "ARABIC" is HEBREW!

[@MaxMalkiel]

+The flop ten show +The flop ten show What I wrote in the end of the video was Persian in Hebrew script (I wrote Bukhara-yi Sharif which means Noble Bukhara), and then Arabic (I wrote some separate letters and then the words Salam and qalam).

[@humzamughal6076]

+Max Malkiel sorry i didn't watch the whole video. My mistake, my apologies

[@MaxMalkiel]

+The flop ten show No problema, brov :))

[@Tathakat]

It's funny I agree. But what's more funny is this reply on my comment to my email address Just because an israeli was involved.

[@Tathakat]

It's funny I agree. But what's more funny is this reply on my comment to my email address. Just because an israeli was involved.

[@Tathakat]

Sorry but this was copied from a Palestinian artist named Ahmad Dari.

[@waqarbunny586]

not suitable for urdu

[@TheSyriaFreedom2011]

worst camera work ever.