How has Wikipedia's Siyah mashq article changed?

Wikipedia's first sentence called it "calligraphic practice sheet includes a number of diagonal words and letters used in combinations facing upwards". Today it says "calligraphic practice sheets often covered completely with writing". The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read "This calligraphic fragment, created in the 16th or 17th century, recalls a number of Safavid exercises". It now reads "Calligraphic practice sheets". We saved the article's opening at 5 moments between 2020 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

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How Wikipedia rewrote the Siyah mashq article

The opening as it read in 2020

This calligraphic fragment, created in the 16th or 17th century, recalls a number of Safavid exercises Siyah mashq (Persian: سیاه مشق), lit.¹ "black practice," are calligraphic practice sheets often covered completely with writing. They may include a number of diagonal words and letters used in combinations facing upwards and downwards on the folio. Siyah mashq was originally just a practice for the calligrapher to warm up his hand and to refine the shape of letters by repeating them over and over. These practices resulted in a page filled with words and letters. When calligraphers realised how stunning some of these pieces where it was turned into a style of its own.² Words and letters are repeated regardless of meaning, all for the sake of composition and style. As an established genre , practice sheets abide to certain rules of formal compositions , largely guided by rhythm and repetition. Although siyah mashq sheets survive from ca. 1600, they seem to have been a particularly popular genre during the second half of the 19th century, i.e., during the artistic revival spearheaded by the Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din Shah , who reigned from 1848 to 1896. The Library of Congress .

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 890192242.

The opening as it stood in 2010

"black practice", is calligraphic practice sheet includes a number of diagonal words and letters used in combinations facing upwards and downwards on the folio. Siyah mashq was originally just a practice for the calligrapher to warm up his hand and to refine the shape of letters by repeating them over and over. these practices resulted in a page filled with words and letters. when calligraphers realised how stunning some of these pieces were it was turned into a style of its own. words and letters are repeated regardless of meaning, all for the sake of composition and style. As an established genre, practice sheets abided to certain rules of formal compositions, largely guided by rhythm and repetition. Although siyah mashq sheets survive from ca. 1600, they seem to have been a particularly popular genre during the second half of the 19th century, i.e., during the artistic revival spearheaded by the Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din Shah , who reigned 1848–1896 v t e

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 360266821.

The opening as it stood in 2015

This calligraphic fragment, created in the 16th or 17th century, recalls a number of Safavid exercises Siyah mashq (Persian: ) lit. "black practice", are calligraphic practice sheets often covered completely with writing. They may include a number of diagonal words and letters used in combinations facing upwards and downwards on the folio. Siyah mashq was originally just a practice for the calligrapher to warm up his hand and to refine the shape of letters by repeating them over and over. These practices resulted in a page filled with words and letters. When calligraphers realised how stunning some of these pieces were it was turned into a style of its own. Words and letters are repeated regardless of meaning, all for the sake of composition and style. As an established genre , practice sheets abide to certain rules of formal compositions , largely guided by rhythm and repetition. Although siyah mashq sheets survive from ca. 1600, they seem to have been a particularly popular genre during the second half of the 19th century, i.e., during the artistic revival spearheaded by the Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din Shah , who reigned from 1848 to 1896. The Library of Congress .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 587580118.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Calligraphic practice sheets Siyah mashq (Persian: سیاه مشق), lit. "black practice," are calligraphic practice sheets often covered completely with writing. They may include a number of diagonal words and letters used in combinations facing upwards and downwards on the folio. Siyah mashq was originally just a practice for the calligrapher to warm up his hand and to refine the shape of letters by repeating them over and over. These practices resulted in a page filled with words and letters. When calligraphers realised how stunning some of these pieces were, it was turned into a style of its own. Words and letters are repeated regardless of meaning, all for the sake of composition and style. As an established genre , practice sheets abide to certain rules of formal compositions , largely guided by rhythm and repetition. Although siyah mashq sheets survive from ca. 1600, they seem to have been a particularly popular genre during the second half of the 19th century, i.e., during the artistic revival spearheaded by the Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din Shah , who reigned from 1848 to 1896. The Library of Congress .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1154229077. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

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