Damascus calligrapher keeps ancient art alive

In a basement in Damascus' historic Rukneddin neighborhood, Ferac Arsin keeps a traditional art alive, one handwritten letter at a time.

For 41 years, Arsin has practiced Arabic calligraphy, an art form in which the written word is shaped into carefully balanced compositions. Rooted in the cultural and religious traditions of the Arab and Islamic world, the craft has long adorned mosques, historic buildings, manuscripts and public spaces across the region.

Now, as digital technology increasingly replaces handwriting with computer-generated designs, Arsin says the human hand remains irreplaceable.

"A computer can produce a work, but there is no soul in this work. When the calligrapher writes with his own hand, you can feel a soul in the letters and throughout the entire work," he told Anadolu.

Arsin first became interested in calligraphy as a child. He began practicing professionally in 1980 and has since combined his work as a calligrapher with teaching, passing the techniques of the traditional craft on to younger generations.

Today, his basement studio serves both as a place where he creates works in different calligraphic styles and as a space for teaching.