Artist Lecture Series: Mohamed Zakariya

Mohamed Zakariya is an American master of Islamic calligraphy, recently commissioned by President Obama to commemorate his historic visit to Cairo.

With no formal education, Zakariya learned his trades in machine shops, antique shops, and museums and at Istanbul’s Research Center for Islamic Art, History and Culture, where he earned two licenses in Islamic calligraphy—the first Westerner to do so. Known for his design of the “Eid Greetings” U.S. postage stamp, he concentrates primarily on classical Arabic and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy.

Co-sponsors

• SF State International Center for the Arts
• de Young Museum
• Yates Art Foundation