Harmattan

Harmattan is a SIL International family designed for West African languages using Arabic script, with a simplified Warsh-style rendering. It favors basic connecting glyphs rather than a wide collection of decorative ligatures and contextual alternates. The name refers to the seasonal West African wind.

This is a language and text workflow choice, not a promise of Quran-edition suitability. Test the actual Ajami material with its readers and check the specific marks needed by the publication. The source documentation discusses broader Arabic-script coverage and shaping technologies, but this catalog does not treat those statements as a guarantee for every language or every text-processing application.

Working with Harmattan

For a school handout, proof the local language’s alphabet and a marked paragraph with a fluent reader. Compare Alkalami when a Kano-related design is relevant; Noto Sans Arabic offers a contrasting modern design, subject to its own coverage check. The included Latin can carry annotations. Do not replace missing characters with look-alike forms from another language.

Files, styles and coverage

This package supplies 4 static styles, with weight values 400, 500, 600, 700. The ZIP contains the original TTF files; the web preview uses prepared WOFF2 subsets. Version: 4.400. The supplied font covers Arabic and Latin.

Explore educational layouts and other modern sans fonts. Prepare a sample with the Arabic keyboard; our guide to choosing an Arabic font covers selection and proofing.

When the publication specifically calls for Rubutun Kano, inspect Ruwudu’s language-focused design. Its warning about characters needed by other languages matters: verify the community’s text before substituting it for a Harmattan sample.

License and original files

The ZIP includes the original files and the exact SIL Open Font License 1.1. Personal and commercial use are permitted under its terms. Retain the license when redistributing, respect reserved names and do not sell the font alone. See the official source for this version.