Alkalami is a Rubutun Kano font for Arabic-based writing systems in the Kano region of Nigeria and Niger. This style of writing African ajami has sometimes been called Sudani Kufi or Rubutun Kano. The bulk of the design of Alkalami was based on what are known as ‘market edition manuscripts’. It is vastly different from script traditions of the Middle East.
Alkǎlami (pronounced al-KA-la-mi) is the local word for the Arabic “qalam”, a type of sharpened stick used for writing on wooden boards in the Kano region of Nigeria and in Niger, and what gives the style its distinct appearance. The baseline stroke is very thick and solid. The ascenders and other vertical strokes including the teeth are very narrow when compared to the baseline. A generous line height is necessary to allow for deep swashes and descenders, and the overall look of the page is a very black, solid rectangle. Diacritics are much smaller in scale, with very little distance from the main letters.
