Qur'an Manuscript Folio (recto; verso); Left side of Bifolio (800s): Art, History and Details

Qur'an Manuscript Folio (recto; verso); Left side of Bifolio (800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Because of its connection with the Qur'an, calligraphy was elevated above all other art forms in the Islamic world. From an awkward and nearly illegible form of writing, Arabic script was transformed during the 600s and 700s to make it worthy of recording the Divine word. By the 800s, Muslim scribes were producing copies of the Qur'an that were true calligraphic masterpieces. This Qur'an, written entirely in gold, exemplifies the angular form of writing known as Kufic at its majestic best. The text on the right page is the opening of the Chapter of the Star (53: 1–21), which begins: "By the star when it plunges, your comrade is not astray, neither errs, nor speaks he out of caprice. This is naught but a revelation revealed, taught him by one terrible in power, very strong. . . ."

Object facts

• Title: Qur'an Manuscript Folio (recto; verso); Left side of Bifolio
• Date: 800s
• Culture: North Africa, Aghlabid or Abbasid Period, 9th century
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: gold, ink and colors on parchment
• Dimensions: Overall: 26.7 x 73 cm (10 1/2 x 28 3/4 in.); Text area: 22.8 x 30 cm (9 x 11 13/16 in.)
• Collection: Islamic Art
• Department: Islamic Art
• Accession number: 1993.39.2

Collection credit

The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.