Alkalami

Alkalami is a free Arabic-script font based on writing from the Kano region of Nigeria and from Niger. Its heavy baseline strokes and narrow verticals give a page a distinctive texture that calls for generous line spacing.

Keep the regional reference visible

Developed by SIL, Alkalami takes its name from the local word for the writing tool used on wooden boards. The design reflects a specific West African tradition. It should not be presented as a generic substitute for every Arabic calligraphic style.

This catalog groups it under Maghribi as an approximation across related traditions. That category does not make it a reproduction of Moroccan writing: Kano remains the specific reference to communicate in a design brief.

Try a cultural or editorial role

Among fonts for calligraphic compositions, Alkalami brings this regional voice. Begin with a short passage whose context calls for it, then examine the page at final size. The contrast between thick baseline strokes and narrow verticals can become harder to resolve in small text.

For a more conventional Arabic reading face, compare Amiri. For a different handwritten tradition, examine Aref Ruqaa without treating Ruq’ah and Kano writing as the same style.

One file, with room to descend

The download contains Alkalami Regular 400, version 3.000, as one TTF. No Bold or Italic files are included. Test several lines and leave room for the deep descending shapes; a single isolated word will not reveal the spacing a paragraph needs.

The file includes Arabic and Latin characters. Check the particular letters and marks your language requires in the final application. If the document has detailed educational annotations, compare Scheherazade New and proof the output rather than relying on the preview alone.

Latin captions

Start with the built-in Latin for a bilingual proof. If a publication uses a separate Latin family, choose its role deliberately and compare the visual weight against Alkalami’s dense baseline. Do not compress the Arabic line height just to force it into a Latin caption grid.

OFL license and reserved names

The original TTF and SIL Open Font License 1.1 are included in the ZIP. Personal and commercial use, embedding and redistribution are allowed under its terms. Distributed modifications must respect the Reserved Font Names “Alkalami” and “SIL.” Selling the font on its own is prohibited.

Read the Google Fonts source files and explore the catalog’s Maghribi grouping with that classification limit in mind. Prepare a sample using the Arabic keyboard and use the guide to choosing an Arabic font for a structured comparison.