Title
Qur'an folio
Year/Period
Early 8th century
Region
North Africa
Material
Dimension
Image size: L69 x W56 cm
Accession No.
1999-00214
Collection of
Early Qur’ans were written on the most expensive writing material available at the time – parchment (dried animal skin). Such large Qur’ans are rare and would have been commissioned by wealthy patrons, most likely for use in mosques. The amount of care taken to plan and write this page of the Qur’an is evident. Written in Kufic-Abbasid, an early script developed by calligraphers, the letters are well-spaced and carefully drawn. The writing looks stately and is evocative of the timelessness of the Holy book. The Text comes from Surat al-Anbiya’ (The Prophets), part of verse 85 to part of verse 88.
