Central to Islamic Art is the practice of calligraphy. The extremely intricate form of writing become common not only in texts but also in art and architecture. The extensive appreciation for calligraphy explains why the page below in the Koran is so ornate. Being Islam’s primary religious text, the calligraphic representations of the texts of the Torah only mange to fit two or three lines per page as in the case of the image below.
The page in the Koran above is a perfect example of the pursuit of perfection. The Kufic text present translates to: “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. “Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.” The aesthetic of Kufic is very fluid as emphasized by its rounded angles and the red marks are actually punctuation incorporated into the text itself, a function of text we are not familiar with in our own writing form. One particularly embellished, gold, ornamental strip at the bottom of the page is a tree-like knob that is indicative of signaling a chapter break. The Koran is written on vellum which is extremely fine, prepared animal skin.
While calligraphy was seen on all sorts of mediums, so was the tughra of the sultan at the time. Below is is a picture of the Tughra (Imperial Cipher) of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Tughras are symbols of sultans’ authority and were not uncommon on everything from walls of government buildings to official documents. 
Sultan Suleyman’s power is apparent through the emphasized complexity and beauty of his tughra. The recurring colors of blue and gold indicative of prominence or authority figures is present as well as a meticulously detailed inclusion of hundreds of small flowers that have a very horror vacui, or fear of empty spaces, element to it that was characteristic in Arabesque art. The following image points out several features canon in tughra designs. 
The name of the sultan is written out in the bottom section, called a sere. Depending on the period, this name can be as simple as Orhan, son of Osman in the first tughra in 1326. In later periods honorifics and prayers are also added to the name of the tughra holder and his father. The loops to the left of the tughra are called beyze, from Arabic meaning egg. Some interpretations of tughra design claim that the beyzes are supposed to symbolize the two seas the sultans held sway over: the outer larger loop signifying the Mediterranean and the inner, smaller loop signifying the Black Sea. The vertical lines on the top of the tughra are called tuğ, or flagstaff. The three tugs signify independence. The S-shaped lines crossing the tugs are called zülfe and they, together with the tops of the tugs that also look to the right, signify that the winds blow from the east to the west, the traditional movement of the Ottomans. The lines to the right of the tughra are called hançer and signify a sword, symbol of power and might.