Kufic and Arabic Crosses

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Pascal Zoghbi, Photographer.

Here is a cool looking cross via Curious Christian and the source of the photo, Pascal Zoghbi at 29Letters Blog.  **world Business 1981*** reports that the wooden cross

is currently in the National Evangelical Church of Beirut, a Protestant church in Lebanon. The work was made in 1995 by the Lebanese Arab Christian artist Istfén. The writings are John 3:16; they say in Arabic "لأنه هكذا أحب الله العالم حتى بذل ابنه الوحيد لكي لا يهلك كل من يؤمن به بل تكون له الحياة الأبدية". Dimensions of the cross are 140cm X 100cm.

Another Arabic calligraphy cross by artist EveritteBarbee can be seen here.  It also contains John 3:16, once around the border and once in the cross itself. The centre circle reads "(he) loved".

Arabic Calligraphy

Arabic calligraphy is one of the most highly regarded arts forms in the Islamic world, because it is the language of the Qur'an, the sacred book of Islam. Muslims believe it was dictated to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel between 610-632 A.D. Since then, Arabic calligraphy has become a highly developed art form due to the prohibition of images within most branches of Islam.