Abdul Fattah: Man who penned road signs 38 years back in UAE

Egyptian expat and teacher Abdul Fattah Mohammed Malha has been practising Caligraphy since 1980. - Photo by Dhes Handumon

Tucked along the narrow alleys in the heart of the Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood, you'll find Abdul Fattah, a fifty-something Arabic calligrapher.
Unlike his peers within the art field, his talent came from somewhere a little more unique.
"Allah gifted me a certificate in talent, not a certificate from university. That was the best gift, the best diploma I could get," he tells Khaleej Times during a visit.
While most people have to work hard to perfect their art, whether it be "painting, singing or drawing", Egyptian expatriate Fattah says his came a little more naturally.
"Most people are gifted with 70-80 per cent of their talent and they learn it through practice, but Allah gave me more than 100 per cent when it comes to my calligraphy. I live and breathe my art."
As one of the tutors at Dar Al Khat Al Arabi, an Arabic calligraphy house that sits within the historical neighbourhood, Fattah was actually one of the first people to pen road signs in Dubai more than three decades ago.
"I came here in 1980 and started working for the Dubai Municipality. I would write the road signs in Arabic and back in those days they were hand written, not printed like today."
More than 38 years later, he now works as a teacher of Arabic calligraphy, and he still hasn't lost that passion for the pen.
"When I am teaching, I don't feel it is teaching, it is just part of me. Some Arabic people even find reading or writing calligraphy hard because the words sometimes intertwine and sit on top of each other, but for me it's automatic. If I see it, it just clicks in my head. That is beautiful."
Sat in front of his dark green chalkboard in a small classroom in one of the traditional Emirati houses of Al Fahidi, to watch Fattah at work is captivating. Using a traditional bamboo pen with a flattened tip, he explores the visual language of Arabic through lines, shapes and colours. Each pen-stroke sees his hand twist and turn in ways traditional writing does not require, and precision and speed come naturally to him.
A jovial character who is full of life, Fattah says he first became fascinated with the unique writing style when he was just a young boy in Egypt.
"I was about 10 years old. I remember seeing my dad write, but to me it was like a picture, not a letter. I thought, 'wow, what a talent' and that's when I picked up the pen to try it myself."

And the rest is history, he laughs.