Tea glass and saucer with tughra, part of tea service.<BR> <BR> Since the start of the Islamic era calligraphy has been a highly regarded art form owing to its close connection to the writing of the Quran. Over the centuries the art form has been applied on multiple media, and developed both as a decorative and an autonomous art form.<BR> <BR> Contemporary forms of calligrams and tughras are used in private houses, cars, shops and businesses and reflect not only religious sentiments but also display signs of nostalgia and a continuation of symbols (such as the tughra-design as it was originally constructed as the monogram of the Ottoman sultan) connected to Ottoman history.