Qur'an folio

Title

Qur'an folio

Year/Period

14th-16th century

Region

India

Object Type

Qur'ans, religious texts

Material

colour (pigment), ink, paper (fiber product)

Technique

illumination (image-making process), writing (processes)

Dimension

Image size: 29.2 x 20.5 cm

Accession No.

2009-03150

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

This folio contains the verse 35:9-13 of the Surah Al-Fatir (The Creator) from the Qur'an. It is written in a script known as 'bihari', a variant of 'naskh' (cursive). The 'bihari' script is recognisable by its emphasis on the horizontal elements of the Arabic letter forms, thickened at the center and with upswept, pointed ends like swords. Strong colours such as red, orange or blue for illumination and punctuation, as well as for the main body of the text are often used. The term 'bihari' derives from the province of Bihar in eastern India and was developed during the early period of Islamic rule known as the Sultanate period. Its use seems to have ceased with the advent of the Mughals in the 16th century.