Working alongside master calligraphers from Istanbul and Teheran, Narjes Noureddine is one of the few professional Emirati calligraphers promoting the art of Arabic calligraphy in the UAE.

I once went to see Junichi Kato, an official at what was then the Prime Minister’s Office, who did the calligraphy. A professional calligrapher, Kato recalled staying up all night in his younger ...