Nastaleeq is a beautiful writing style of Urdu with a rich history that started in Persia in the 14th century. It became popular in the Mughal courts and is now the most used script for Urdu in Pakistan. From newspapers and magazines to printing books and documents, this script is deeply rooted in Pakistani culture. There are hundreds of such fonts available based on this script. However, with so many choices out there, every now and then, a designer feels unsure about selecting the perfect Nastaleeq Urdu font for their projects. Therefore, we have taken the pleasure of presenting to you not one but ten such celebrated typefaces that are widely used for different typographic applications.
Known for its elegant slanted letterforms offering smooth flow, Nastaleeq has become a signature writing style for South Asians who want to maintain the legitimacy of traditional Urdu calligraphy. It is not just a way to write but an art form that connects people to their heritage. This script is used in poetry, literature, newspapers, and advertisements, adding beauty to Urdu. Many honorable names have devoted their lives to keep it alive and thrive digitally. Ahmad Jameel Mirza, designer of Jameel Noori Nastaleeq, is one of many. But he was more than a simple typeface designer; he had the honor of pioneering an Urdu font that became the beacon for other designers to produce their own Nastaliq fonts. Learn about Top Urdu Calligraphers who devoted their lives for its flourishment.
List of Top 10 Nastaleeq Urdu Fonts
Nastaleeq Urdu fonts are known for their everlasting elegance, either on printed paper or displayed digitally. With thousands of choices to pick from, urdufonts.com presents you with the top 10. These are the widely used fonts in the landscape of Pakistan, from digital to print media. So, let’s explore them in detail and see how they can serve your designs. Plus, you can download them as well with the provided link buttons.
| No. | Font Name | Designer(s) | Glyphs | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jameel Noori Nastaleeq | Mirza Ahmad | 25,269 | Stylish Urdu font with dynamic thickness and elegant Nastaliq script. |
| 2 | Noto Nastaliq Urdu | 1,138 | Cursive, modulated Nastaliq font with various weights for versatility. | |
| 3 | Gulzar | Borna Izadpanah, Fiona Ross, Alice Savoie, Simon Cozens | 1,161 | Contemporary Urdu Nastaliq with Qalam writing style and moderate thickness. |
| 4 | Faiz Lahori Nastaliq | Ahmad Mirza Jamil | 44,920 | Slanted Urdu font with ligatures, inspired by Nastaliq and Naskh scripts. |
| 5 | Mehr Nastaliq Web | Zeeshan Nasar | 483 | OpenType Urdu Nastaliq font influenced by Nasrullah Mehr’s calligraphy. |
| 6 | AA Sameer Sagar Nastaleeq | Jawad, Arif Karim, Aijaz Akhtar | 1,001 | Slanted decorative Urdu font with thick and elegant letters. |
| 7 | Al Qalam Alvi Nastaleeq | Amjad Hussain Alvi, Shakir ul Qadree | 16,982 | Qalam writing Urdu font with even spacing and rounded corners. |
| 8 | Zohar Unicode | Syed Manzar Hasan Zaidi | 497 | Natural and authentic Nastaliq font with flowing and untidy handwritten look. |
| 9 | Urdu Emad Nastaliq | Jawad, Arif Karim, Aijaz Akhtar | 1,480 | Oblique Urdu font with elongated thin terminals and slightly condensed look. |
| 10 | PDMS Nastaliq Nafees | Kashif Hisam | 385 | Simple and elegant Urdu font with consistent thickness and slightly thin edges. |
Jameel Noori Nastaleeq – The Best Nastaleeq Urdu Font
Jameel Noori Nastaleeq is a classical Urdu font designed by Pakistani calligrapher Mirza Ahmad Jameel. This font set the basis for other typefaces that developed later in this region. If you want to learn more about it, read our guide on the Story of Jameel Noori Nastaleeq for better understanding. The typeface comes with dynamic thickness, with flowing lines and curves that perfectly reflect the traditional Nastaliq script. The varying thickness of strokes gives it a sense of movement and grace. Its 428 characters and massive 25,269 glyph count make it suitable for various languages like Urdu, Arabic, Latin, and Persian. The font’s appearance is elegant and sophisticated but it is highly readable as well. All these attributes make it ideal for projects such as branding, advertising, and invitations, where a touch of tradition is necessary. Moreover, it is available in 2 different styles, which are as follows:
Noto Nastaliq Urdu
Noto Nastaliq Urdu which is carefully designed and released by Google, is a versatile font specifically made for Urdu and other Middle Eastern scripts. It offers a modulated (“serif”) style, with thick and thin strokes that create contrast for legibility. The font comes in different weights, adding versatility to its use. It is perfect for creating variations in design using different weights. With 1,138 glyphs and support for 281 characters, it is highly adaptable. This font maintains a classic and flowing appearance, making it perfect for calligraphy projects, branding, and advertising. Its traditional yet modern look makes it a favorite among designers. It is compatible with over 100 languages across various design platforms. Its weights are as follows:
Gulzar – Elegant Nastaleeq Urdu Font For Literary Work
Gulzar is a contemporary Urdu Nastaleeq font created by Borna Izadpanah, who was commissioned by Google and Fiona Ross, Alice Savoie, and Simon Cozens were hired as consulting engineers for this project. Early digital typefaces like Monotype’s Noori Nastaliq and Linotype’s Sheeraz and Qalmi paved the way for its formation. Released in 2022, it consists of 413 characters and 1,161 glyphs, supporting 417 languages, including Urdu, Persian, Pashtu, and Arabic. Gulzar offers a Qalam writing style with moderate thickness, elegant appearance, and diagonal letterforms. Its consistent thickness and slightly slanted edges provide a formal yet easy-to-read aesthetic. Gulzar is not the first OpenType Nasta’liq typeface, but it is the first Nasta’liq type to have an original Latin counterpart designed, making it ideal for creative posters, books, newspapers, and official documents. It includes all of the transliteration characters needed to transcribe Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages.
Faiz Lahori Nastaleeq
The Lahori style of Nastaleeq is a subtype of Persian Nastaleeq. Munshi Abdul Majeed Parveen Raqam and Munshi Tajuddin Zareen Raqam made small tweaks and improvements to make it look even more elegant. Faiz Lahori Nastaleeq is an example of that. It is a slanted Urdu font with beautiful oblique and elegant letters, with influences from Naskh. This font, designed by Ahmad Mirza Jamil, offers a clean, minimal look with even spacing, rounded corners, and long edges. With 391 characters and a huge glyph count of 44,920, it supports multiple languages, making it versatile for various projects. Its changing thickness and contrasting strokes add depth to its appearance, making it suitable for books, newspapers, and Islamic texts. Learn more about Perso-Arabic Nastaliq script and how it gave life to South Asian languages.
Mehr Nastaliq Web
Mehr Nastaliq Web is an OpenType Urdu font developed by Zeeshan Nasar, inspired by classical Nastaliq calligraphy. It is designed to meet the needs of modern digital publishing and mobile applications, using Nasrullah Mehr’s calligraphy, a well-known font designer and Pakistani calligrapher who has received international awards. Released in 2021, it features 111 characters and 483 glyphs and supports languages like Arabic, Latin, Greek, Pashtu, and Urdu. The font’s elegant, diagonal letterforms with varying thicknesses create a formal and refined look. Its monospaced letters with rounded corners and slanted edges enhance its graceful aesthetic. Mehr Nastaliq Web is ideal for poetry, creative posters, and official documents, offering versatility and readability.
AA Sameer Sagar Nastaleeq – A Stylish Nastaleeq Urdu Font
AA Sameer Sagar Nastaleeq is a modern and decorative Urdu font released in 2016, inspired by the Nastaliq script. The unique aspect of this font is that it displays the classical Nastali’q script style while using the signature Diwani looks. It offers thick and elegant letters with even spacing and rounded corners, perfect for projects that demand immediate attention. With its long, curly edges that are swirling inward, it presents a stylish vibe catering to modern design needs. Also, with 143 characters and 1,001 glyphs, this font supports multiple languages, making it suitable for various projects. Its decorative and cursive edges add more to its aesthetic appeal, perfect for Islamic texts, logos, and headings. The font’s decorative style adds an artistic flair to any artwork.
Al Qalam Alvi Nastaleeq
Al Qalam Alvi Nastaleeq, a creation of Amjad Hussain Alvi and Shakir ul Qadree, is an elegant Urdu font. Inspired by the Nastaliq script, it expresses grace and elegance in every type of text it uses with. With even spacing, rounded corners, and perfectly made Qalam-style edges, the font presents a minimal yet sophisticated look. It features 253 characters and 16,982 glyphs, making it one of the most highly adaptable and functional fonts. Moreover, it supports over 100 different languages, including Arabic, Latin, Greek, and Urdu, which is perfect for projects involving various languages. The font’s moderate thickness and contrasting strokes create an impactful appearance. Its clean look and high legibility make it suitable for books, social media posts, and Quran writing. Al Qalam Alvi Nastaleeq offers versatility and elegance, perfect for various design purposes.
Zohar Unicode
Zohar Unicode is another Nastaleeq Urdu Font that is widely used for printing purposes in India and Pakistan. It is crafted by Syed Manzar Hasan Zaidi, who has done an incredible job of reviving his mother tongue (Urdu) digitally by offering hundreds of fonts. This font offers a natural feel with the original Nastaliq attributes, making it a perfect choice for web writing and branding purposes. With 444 characters and 497 glyphs, it offers enough room for design variations. Moreover, it supports multiple languages like Arabic, Latin, and Greek, making it more diverse. The font’s thin lines and subtle waves add further appeal, making it ideal for poetry and advertising. Its plain and simple look, equal spacing, and rounded corners make Zohar Unicode a top choice for writers and designers. Moreover, learn more about Syed Manzar Hasan Zaidi and more in our collection of Top Font Designers of all time.
Urdu Emad Nastaliq – Artistic Nastaleeq Urdu Font
Urdu Emad Nastaliq is an oblique Qalam writing Urdu font designed by Jawad, Arif Karim, and Aijaz Akhtar, and it was released in 2018. It comes with its long and extended Qalam-made edges that add a sophisticated feel to its appearance. Moreover, it offers elongated thin ends and a slightly condensed look, adding elegance to its design. With 235 characters and 1,480 glyphs, it supports various languages, ensuring adaptability for different projects. The font’s consistent thickness and impactful strokes add further to its graphic appeal. Due to its flowing letterforms, it is suitable for poetry books and projects that require traditional Urdu calligraphy rather than used for printing.
PDMS Nastaliq Nafees
PDMS Nastaliq Nafees is another Nastaliq-inspired typeface developed by Pakistani font designer Kashif Hisam. It offers simplicity and elegance with its regular style. Released in 2019, it features 345 characters and 385 glyphs and is compatible across different design applications. Moreover, the font offers a large support for different languages other than Urdu. The font’s consistent thickness and slightly thin edges create a clean, uncluttered appearance. Its beautiful strokes and straight vertical characters add visual interest, making it suitable for branding, advertising, and headlines. You can use PDMS Nastaliq Nafees in various applications, like printing books, branding, and social media posts, offering high legibility and conveying messages effectively.
Conclusion
Nastaleeq fonts are vital for preserving the cultural and artistic spirit of Urdu in Pakistan. As technology grows, more high-quality Nastaleeq fonts are available to create beautiful Urdu text in print and digital media. These fonts help writers, poets, and designers express themselves creatively while honoring an age-old tradition. There are many Nastaleeq fonts to choose from, making it easy for anyone to find a style that fits their needs. Using the fonts we picked for you, you can keep the Urdu language and culture alive, ensuring they remain a key part of Pakistani identity and expression. At urdufonts.com, you can easily find and download these and many other similar typefaces for your personal use.
