This page was created by Yonglong Ren. The last update was by Yagnaseni Datta.
What is this?
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 indicates its creation when such embellishments were popular, anywhere from the 8th to the 10th century. Such embellishments have been popular throughout the history of illuminated Qurans, but the use of Kufic and parchment makes this an 8th to 10th-century product.