Diwani Font: The Ottoman Chancery Script and Free Alternatives

Diwani script, the hand of the Ottoman divan

Diwani (ديواني, diwani) was the writing of the Ottoman chancery, the divan (ديوان, diwan), which gave it its name. It developed in the 15th and 16th centuries and served for firmans, decrees and official letters. It is often said that its hard-to-read lines made forgery more difficult.

Diwani jali (الديواني الجلي, al-diwani al-jali) is a denser version. It fills the spaces between letters with small dots and decorative signs until the text forms one compact block.

Spotting Diwani on a page

• Curves and slant: letters are strongly rounded and slanted.
• Overlaps: letters and words cross into each other instead of standing apart.
• Rising lines: a line climbs toward its end, on the left side.
• No strict baseline: letters sit above and below an imaginary line rather than on it.

Compare this with Thuluth: both are ornate, but Thuluth stacks letters on levels, while Diwani slants and flows along a rising line.

Invitations, diplomas and ornamental titles

Today Diwani appears on wedding invitations, diplomas and ornamental titles. It sets a formal, festive tone for a few words: two names, a degree, a greeting. For the names and practical lines on a card, see the Arabic wedding invitation fonts.

A free Diwani design to test on your own words

Layla Diwani is available from Mohammed Isam's own FontLibrary publication under the SIL Open Font License. Its single Regular file offers an ornamental interpretation to test on short headings. Check joins and vowel marks in your application; it does not generate a custom stacked composition for every phrase.

If you find a "free Diwani font" on a download site, read the license inside the file and look for its original source before you print it.

Lemonada, a rounded Naskh with Diwani influences

Lemonada, drawn by Mohamed Gaber with Eduardo Tunni, is a Naskh at heart with Diwani touches in its rounded movement. Treat it as an influence: it is not a traditional Diwani font, and it should not be sold to a client as one.

Its variable range, 300 to 700, lets the couple's names take a heavier weight while the date and venue stay light. It also covers Persian and Urdu, and its Latin grew from Eduardo Tunni's Lemon, which helps when the card has an English line.

If you want a genuine calligraphic hand with free fonts, look at the Ruq'ah style, a 19th-century Ottoman script with a classical typeface in two weights.

Diwani questions

What is the difference between Diwani and Diwani jali?

Plain Diwani leaves air around its letters. Diwani jali fills that air with dots and small signs and packs the words into a dense block. Choose jali only when ornament matters more than quick reading.

How can I get a Diwani name for a wedding card?

Start by testing the exact names in Layla Diwani. For a composition arranged specifically for those words, commission a calligrapher. Have the spelling checked by a native reader; the online Arabic keyboard helps you type it. Keep the practical information in a quieter face.

Can I fake Diwani by slanting another font?

No. A software slant tilts every letter the same way but adds no overlaps, rising lines or ligatures. The result looks like a distorted version of the original font, not like Diwani.

For the other ornate style that resists digital type, see the page on Thuluth calligraphy. To decide between an ornate title and a quieter face, read the guide on how to choose an Arabic font.