"Jadid al Islam” is a series of typographic posters that were inspired by traditional Persian rugs.
The posters tell the history of the Jewish community of Mashad, which had to hide its religious identity for more than 120 years in order to survive in the Muslim environment.
Handwritten lettering, digitalized and printed on paper.
There are no official researches about the Jewish-Persian script of Mashad, which is also called Jadidi, and the sources are rare.
Once I found some old family letters that were written in Jadidi I decided to make a research of my own and try to learn how to write and read in this unknown language.
The posters contain original texts that were written by the members of the Community during the last 300 years, between them a song dedicated to the bride and groom, a personal letter about the life of the community in Jerusalem and a nostalgic song dedicated to the city of Mashad.
In addition to the content of the texts, I created new connections between the Jadidi script and the Arabic calligraphy techniques that are typical of the Muslim culture.
Another important element are the traditional shapes of the Persian carpet, which contain mysterious meanings and symbolism that are linked to the content of the texts.
Graduation project at Bezalel Academy, 2021
Photos by Daniel Hanoch