About Us – Zafirah Heritage

Zafirah Heritage Arts & Atelier, based in Dubai, is a corporate art ecosystem operating as both an e-gallery and a production platform, dedicated to bringing the rich heritage of Islamic arts into dialogue with contemporary art and design practices. The atelier’s core philosophy goes beyond preservation, aiming instead to reinterpret and reproduce traditional disciplines in response to today’s aesthetic, technological, and spatial needs.

The artists and artisans working within the atelier possess both theoretical and practical mastery in classical art forms such as calligraphy, miniature painting, tile art, illumination, bookbinding, and paper cutting. At the same time, they are capable of integrating this heritage with contemporary production approaches. Zafirah aims to cultivate an interdisciplinary environment where artistic production is supported by scholarly research, and theory and practice evolve together.

While the selected artists develop individual expertise in their own practices, they are equally capable of collaborating within large-scale institutional projects, integrating artistic production with architectural, interior, curatorial, and design processes. In this sense, Zafirah is not merely an exhibiting platform, but an active production center that develops projects, provides consultancy, and manages implementation processes.

In addition to original artworks, the atelier produces bespoke artistic and design solutions tailored to both personal and corporate needs. Alongside site-specific artistic applications, collectible works, and institutional commissions, the production scope also includes artisan products such as leather accessories, handcrafted pens, and art objects.

Zafirah also regards knowledge transfer as an essential component of artistic production. Accordingly, the atelier organizes workshops, short-term educational programs, and hands-on training sessions for participants at various levels. Professional conservation and restoration services are also offered for manuscripts, artworks, and collectible objects, ensuring their preservation and longevity.

By situating Islamic arts within their historical context while connecting them to contemporary production practices, Zafirah Heritage Arts & Atelier positions itself as a comprehensive platform that brings together education, production, consultancy, and application to build a sustainable and refined artistic ecosystem.

Driven by a profound passion for the universal language of Islamic culture and arts, Mirbey İsmail Kaynak, Founder and Creative Director of Zafirah Heritage, believes that this ancient heritage has unique insights for the modern world and that humanity today yearns for such aesthetic depth. Having internalized the discipline of tradition through classical calligraphy training, Kaynak has built a vision focused on carrying this wisdom into the future. By bridging classical arts with the new generation and contemporary design, he leads an integrated art ecosystem, organizing both academic research and a multidisciplinary production network.

She began her journey in Islamic calligraphy in 2011, gradually deepening her practice within the classical tradition. Starting with thuluth and naskh, her work evolved into a broader inquiry encompassing various scripts and approaches within the discipline.

Throughout her graduate and doctoral studies, she has focused on Islamic calligraphy, painting, and manuscript culture, rethinking tradition through a contemporary lens. While continuing her practice within the classical mashq lineage in Istanbul, she explores the visual possibilities of script through diverse surfaces and applications.

She continues her academic research alongside her artistic production, working in both classical and modern modes of expression within the field of Islamic calligraphy.