bookofkhidr
Blue Qur’ān | Book of Khidr
Folio from the multivolume Qur’ān manuscript known as the “Blue Qur’ān”, with gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment, Kufic script with omitted diacritical and voweling marks and minimalist ornamentation, from Tunisia, probably from the Great Mosque of Qairawan, circa second half 9th c mid-10th c. Several scholars have suggested dates for the Blue Qur’an, ranging from the 9th to the mid-10th c, and attributed it to either Qairawan in Tunisia (because of the particular system of abjad numbering in this illuminated manuscript and a description of a manuscript having the same specifications was found in an inventory in the Mosque of Qairawan in A.H. 693/1293 A.D), or Cordoba in Al-Andalus, Umayyad Spain. Like most Qur’ān manuscripts from the 8th through the 10th c, it is distinguished by the use of parchment, a horizontal format, and the kufic script. The only decoration found on many of these pages consists of the circular silver marks that separate each verse (now almost entirely oxidized and faded). The art of gold lettering on dyed vellum or parchment (this art most likely came from the Christian Byzantine Empire) is luxurious and rare, which means this manuscript could have been commissioned by the caliph himself or a wealthy patron. Experts have stated that the verses on the pages shown in this post are from Surah Ar-Rūm (The Byzantine Empire, or The Byzantines, or The Greeks) 30:24-32. Although I personally love this manuscript so much for various reasons, I can barely read the entire lines displayed here (despite my Arabic native level and the fact I do read the Qur’ān fast), this Kufic script is difficult to read because the letters have been manipulated to make each line the same length. Notes from my research / on view and picture courtesy The Met Museum.
Blue Qur’ān | Book of Khidr
Folio from the multivolume Qur’ān manuscript known as the “Blue Qur’ān”, with gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment, Kufic script with omitted diacritical and voweling marks and minimalist ornamentation, from Tunisia, probably from the Great Mosque of Qairawan, circa second half 9th c mid-10th c. Several scholars have suggested dates for the Blue Qur’an, ranging from the 9th to the mid-10th c, and attributed it to either Qairawan in Tunisia (because of the particular system of abjad numbering in this illuminated manuscript and a description of a manuscript having the same specifications was found in an inventory in the Mosque of Qairawan in A.H. 693/1293 A.D), or Cordoba in Al-Andalus, Umayyad Spain. Like most Qur’ān manuscripts from the 8th through the 10th c, it is distinguished by the use of parchment, a horizontal format, and the kufic script. The only decoration found on many of these pages consists of the circular silver marks that separate each verse (now almost entirely oxidized and faded). The art of gold lettering on dyed vellum or parchment (this art most likely came from the Christian Byzantine Empire) is luxurious and rare, which means this manuscript could have been commissioned by the caliph himself or a wealthy patron. Experts have stated that the verses on the pages shown in this post are from Surah Ar-Rūm (The Byzantine Empire, or The Byzantines, or The Greeks) 30:24-32. Although I personally love this manuscript so much for various reasons, I can barely read the entire lines displayed here (despite my Arabic native level and the fact I do read the Qur’ān fast), this Kufic script is difficult to read because the letters have been manipulated to make each line the same length. Notes from my research / on view and picture courtesy The Met Museum.