The art of calligraphy has been extensively used in various cultures, but this art form has its different uses.  Unlike Chinese calligraphy wherein each style has a particular use from poetry writing to documentations, calligraphy in the Middle East was used solely for artistic handwriting and, by extension, bookmaking.

Islamic calligraphy involves the use of the Arabic script, which has been used in many languages from Arabic to Farsi (Persian) to Urdu.  This art form has been highly revered by Muslims because it was the primary means for the preservation of the Qur'an, Islam's holy book.  And since Islam forbids the use of figurative art, as Muslim see it as idolatrous, calligraphy in the Islamic regions has been used extensively as calligrams of abstract figures.

Islamic calligrams are created by interweaving written words or by using micrography, wherein calligraphers produce anthropomorphic figures.  As you see in the illustration, the Basmala ("In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful," which appears on the beginning of most chapters in the Qur'an) was artistically rendered in shape of a pear.  The right leaf reads, "Qāla allāh ta'ālā" (The sublime God said), while the left leaf reads "Wa innahu min Sulaymān" (And it is from Solomon, as the Basmala first appeared in the Qur'an in a letter from Solomon).

Aside from religious purposes, Islamic calligrams are also used for commercial purposes.  One notable example is the logo of Al Jazeera, an international news station based at Qatar.  It is the name of the network stylized as a flame.

Arabic calligraphers produce their art through the use of ink and the qalam, a type of pen made of dried reed or bamboo.  Meanwhile, the color of the ink is chosen in such a way that its intensity can vary greatly.

Image released in public domain