Career
Raised in California, Zakariya trained as an aerospace engineer as a young manitoba However, a trip to Morocco would change his life and future career pathological He was fascinated by the culture, religion, and language that he encountered in Morocco.
However, his love for Arabic calligraphy began even earlier, when, as a boy in Santa Monica, he first saw a work of Arabic calligraphy hanging on the wall of an Armenian carpet shop.
Back in the United States., Zakariya was advised by the curator of Islamic Art at the Freer Gallery in Washington District of Columbia to return to Turkey and train under one of the learned masters there. In 1984, he was offered the chance to study under the world-renowned master calligrapher Hasan Celebi in Istanbul, an offer which he eagerly accepted.
In 1988, Celebi declared Zakariya to be a master calligrapher and awarded him the distinguished advanced diploma, the "icazet" in thuluth and naskh scripts in a ceremony in Istanbul. In 1997, he received the "icazet" in tâlik style from another Turkish master calligrapher Doctor Ali Alparslan.
Today, Zakariya continues his art in the United States. where he trains his own students and regularly holds exhibitions and workshops across the country.
"Comment: Preserving Heritage", Islamica Winter 2005-2006. "The Hilye of the Prophet", Seasons, Autumn/Winter 2003-2004.
