Urdu is a Persianized Turkish word meaning court or camp of the Turkish army. Urdu is an Indo-Iranian language rooted in Hindi that developed between the 12th and 16th centuries under the influence of Islamic Persians and Turks. It is spoken today in most of Pakistan and in northeastern India between Delhi and Calcutta. This painted page is written as an Urdu poem composed in the 17th century. Urdu is written in Persian script and is celebrated as an especially poetic language. The rhythms of its calligraphy are said to be as musical as the sounds of nature. (FLG)