• Reference
    • GB 102 MS 16374
  • Dates of Creation
    • 18th-19th century
  • Language of Material
    • Arabic
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume

Scope and Content

This leather-bound manuscript comprises the tenth to the thirteenth suras (chapters) of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. The opening pages of the book - which contain an invocatory prayer and the beginning of the tenth sura - are vibrantly illuminated with dense floral designs painted in polychrome and heightened with gilding. Particularly striking are the bold, vivid colours and the lobed arch-like forms that crown the pages. The manuscript's Arabic text is written in the naskh script, which, because of its legibility, came to be the preferred script for Qur'anic calligraphy. Iran or India.

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Donated by Reginald Wilde Esq, 1924

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

H32.5 x W22.5cm.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance