‘Ali Riza Tabrizi

‘Ali Riza ‘Abbasi Tabrizi (b. 1038/1628), a calligrapher and poet with the nom de plume Shahnavaz. He is regarded as one of the greatest calligraphers flourishing under the Safavids. Reportedly hailing from Tabriz, he learned principles of calligraphy from Mulla ‘Ala’ Biyg. Following the Ottoman invasion of Azerbaijan, he departed for Qazwin, settled in the Jami’ Mosque of Qazwin, and copied books. In Qazwin, he served as a companion of Farhad Khan Qaramanlu, an army general under the Safavid Shah ‘Abbas, whom he accompanied in his journeys to Mazandaran and Khurasan. After a while, he traveled to Isfahan and attached himself to the court of Shah ‘Abbas I as the Shah’s calligrapher, hence his nom de plume ‘Abbasi. He also succeeded Sadiqi as the royal librarian. ‘Abbasi had mastery in writing all calligraphic hands, though the only surviving pieces of his calligraphy are in the Thulth and Nasta’liq hands. He was accorded the titles ‘Shahnavaz’ and ‘Shaykh al-Khattatin’ by Mirza Sanglakh and some later biographers. He had poetical vigor as well. The date of his death is not recorded, but it is known that he flourished throughout the reign of Shah ‘Abbas (1587-1628). His most renowned students include: Muhammad Riza Imami, Muhammad Salih Isfahani, and ‘Abd al-Baqi Tabrizi. His works include: Diwan of poetry; an inscription above the gate of ‘Aliqapu in Qazwin in elegant, shish dang (largest in size) Thulth in the epilogue: ‘Shah ‘Abbas al-Husayni … written by ‘Aliriza ‘Abbasi’; an inscription above the gate and beneath the dome of Shaykh Lutf Allah Mosque in Isfahan, in panj dang in the epilogue ‘Praise be to the God of the Worlds, written by ‘Aliriza ‘Abbasi’; an inscription above the gate of a mosque in Isfahan, in du dang Thulth, with the epilogue: ‘Abu al-Muzaffar ‘Abbasi al-Husayni al-Musawi … written by ‘Aliriza al-‘Abbasi 1025 [1616]; a brief treatise in elegant, nim dang hand with the epilogue: ‘Written by the servant … ‘Aliriza ‘Abbasi … in the year 1601’; a gold inscription in the holy shrine of Astan-i Quds-i Razavi in Mashhad which has been taken off the shrine and it is preserved in the Astan-i Quds Museum. The inscription is made by Musta’li, the goldsmith, and its calligraphy in yik dang Nasta’liq has been one of the most famous works of ‘Ali Riza ‘Abbasi. 

Asar-afarinan (4, 207).

Tabrizi, ‘Alireza (b. 1938), a contemporary poet born in Tehran. Having received his primary and secondary education, he entered the business world at the Bazaar of Tehran. He lives in Tehran and besides being a poet, he is a fluent orator.

Farhang-i Sha’iran-i Zaban-i Parsi az Aghaz ta Imruz (1/ 126).