Manuscript of the Qur'an

The patron who commissioned this manuscript of the Qur’an spared no expense—from the first few folios, replete with lush illumination, to the binding, elaborately engraved with the Chinese-inspired lotus blossoms and cloud bands common to the art of the Timurid dynasty in Iran and Central Asia. The second and third pages displayed here feature intricate vegetal ornamentation in gold on a background of cobalt blue, both materials prized for their value and beauty. The right-hand page contains the Arabic text of the Qur’an’s first sura, or chapter, which plays a part in many Muslims’ daily lives; the following chapter begins on the left. The script is known as ghubar, which literally means “dust,” because the letters were thought to be as minute as grains of powder. The small overall size of the codex suggests that it was meant for travel, and certain marginalia and stamps indicate that it passed through several hands in both the Iranian and Ottoman worlds.