Unknown - Qur'an folio - Seljuk Turkey - 1080

An important single folio from a large format Seljuk Qur'an, written in bold early naskh script on ancient laid paper, dating to the 11th-12th century CE, containing Surah heading (rare).

The folio contains the header opening of chapter 8, Surat al-Anfal (The Spoils of War), together with v:1-4. Verse 1 begins , "They ask you about the spoils of war...", addressing the distribution of war gains and calling for reconciliation and obedience of God and his Messenger. Verses 2-4 describe the qualities of true believers - hearts trembling at the mention of God, increased faith upon hearing His verses, reliance on Him, maintaining preyer, and giving in charity.

The script exhibits the monumental character typical of early Seljuk Qur'anic production, with gilded verse markers (fawasil al-ayat), in double and triple ring construction typical of C11th-12th century decoration, illustrating a transitional stage in Qur'an manuscript design between the earlier more austere Abbasid traditions and the increasingly elaborate illumination of later Persian and Mamluk manuscripts. The central inscriptions spell out the verse numbers rather than numerals. They are unusually clear which makes this a more valuable collectors item.

This is an exceptional artefact of Islamic civilisation and Arabic Heritage interest.

It is classified as 'fair' because of the general ageing and the repair to the bottom margin (a later repair but done sympathetically). The folio should be handled with care.

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