Crown Letters and Punctuation and Their Placements

Crown Letters and Punctuation and Their Placements () is a manifesto published by the Egyptian Ministry of Education and written by Abd Al-Qādir ‘Ašūr in 1932. It was released after the creation of the Crown script to be a manual of sorts.

History In 1932, the Egyptian Ministry of Education, on the order of then-King Fuad I, issued a decree for the introduction of capital letters for the Arabic script along with the standardization of punctuation for the Arabic language, largely following earlier proposals by Ahmad Zaki Pasha modelled on French punctuation. Punctuation was included because, previously, there were no set rules for Arabic writing. The Egyptian Ministry of Education released an explanatory manifesto titled Crown Letters and Punctuation Marks and Their Positions of Use, written by Abd Al-Qādir ‘Ašūr and published by Al-Misaḥa Printing House. It was very likely the first book ever written in Crown script. Its proposed capital letters were short-lived, though the use of the punctuation marks continued.

Content The manifesto stated that: Capital letters are to be called 'Crown letters' (, ); taking into account the form in which these letters are enthroned and because they were developed under the will of the Crown. Punctuation marks are to be used. Crown letters are to be used. The Ministry of Education may use all the wherewithal necessary to popularize the use of the Crown letters and punctuation marks and all that is required by the implementation of that from integrating them into curricula to the promulgation of their benefits to the crowds to the facilitation of their use in the press.

Crown script The Crown script (, ) is a modern Arabic script designed by Egyptian calligrapher in 1931. King Fuad I, on the advice of the British Orientalist Denison Ross, had new 'Crown letters' designed for use at the beginning of a new sentence, similarly to English capital letters. Crown letters differed from small letters in that they possessed a loop—or an upside-down —on top of them; letters that may connect to the next letter also connect to that loop, whereas letters that do not connect to the next letter also don't connect to that loop.

More accurately, however, the Crown script isn't really a script of its own; it's more of an addition to existing scripts. The Ministry of Education's manifesto specified that Crown letters may be used with Naskh and Ruqʿah scripts.

Crown Letters and Punctuation and Their Placements

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