Page from Qu'ran (1985.365)
1 2024-03-28T13:31:02-07:00 Richard Lent 3e723f35a685aebf07b8b602f188f085f3fa0c8f 44801 4 Page from Qu'ran, in Kufic Script, Sura 95: At-Tin (The Fig) verses 3-8, and Sura 96: Al-'Alaq (The Clot), Heading and The Basmalah, North Africa, 850-1000, ink on parchment, Anonymous Gift, 1985.365. plain 2024-07-10T11:34:20-07:00 Steve Briggs Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved sgillis 20121012 Zoe Zimmer 726b0bce27fe407b566d2fd9122871e9e9ddcf50This page is referenced by:
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Page from Qur'an (1985.365)
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Yonglong (Ethan) Ren, Class of 2026, College of the Holy Cross
The Page from Qur'an (1985.365) will be on display as of summer 2024 in the Asian Gallery (106).
This page is from the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe it to be the literal word of God (Allah), as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad between 609 and 632 CE. The Quran's significance extends beyond religious teachings. It has played a pivotal role in developing the Arabic language and script, serving as a model of literary excellence.
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What is this Page from the Qur'an?
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Yonglong (Ethan) Ren, Class of 2026, College of the Holy Cross
This page is from a Qur'an manuscript written in angular script. It features verses from Surah 95, At-Tin (The Fig), specifically verses 3-8, and includes the title and bismillah for Surah 96, Al-‘Alaq (Read!)
The text is written in the Kufic script, an early Arabic script characterized by its angular and elongated letterforms. The manuscript has been crafted with a high level of skill, denoted by the uniformity of the text and the use of diacritical marks to indicate vowel sounds. The parchment shows signs of age, and the calligraphy is enhanced with gold, suggesting that this manuscript was valuable. The presence of decorative motifs and the application of gold have been popular throughout the history of illuminated Qur'ans, but the use of Kufic and parchment shows that this a product of the period c. 850-1000 CE. -
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When was this Page from the Qur'an made?
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Yonglong (Ethan) Ren, Class of 2026, College of the Holy Cross
This page of the Qur'an was made between 850 and 1000 CE. This was a period when books, writing, and scholarship were highly valued in the Islamic world. A century or two before this manuscript was made, in 762 CE, the caliph Al-Mansur had founded the city of Baghdad in present-day Iraq. This planned circular city was founded near the ancient cities of Babylon and Ctesiphon. Medieval Baghdad became a center of science, culture, and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. In Baghdad in the 800s and 900s many scholars worked at the famous House of Wisdom, a public library and intellectual center. (See image of scholars in a library.)
Both religious manuscripts, like this Qur'an, and works of science and philosophy were studied, copied, and translated in this period. In later centuries, manuscripts like Qur'ans remained extraordinarily beautiful and important, and they were made in many locations around the medieval globe.