Razwan worked in senior management roles in schools before a career change led him to become a professional calligrapher, working primarily in Arabic calligraphy. As a child he was inspired by his uncle Maulvi Fazal Azeem, who was a professional scribe, and now Razwan is one of only a handful of calligraphers practicing Nastaliq calligraphy using traditional materials in the UK. He has studied with masters such as Dr Nassar Mansour and Keramat Fathinia, and he has provided professional calligraphy services for the National Literacy Trust as well as producing calligraphy work for Leeds City Art Gallery, Ilkley Literature Festival and Bradford City of Culture 2025. He has also used his background in calligraphy to produce Land Art for the Tour de France and is a visiting lecturer at Cheltenham Ladies College and Ullswater College.
Razwan’s QEST Scholarship will enable him to study Arabic and Persian Nastaliq. In a series of bespoke one-to-one classes supervised by Master Keramat Fathinia, one of the very few accomplished masters of Nastaliq in Western Europe, Razwan will learn a variety of advanced skills and graduate to master status. Topics will cover include pen-making; paper preparation; ink-making; and advanced Nastaliq composition and application skills.
