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Manuscript/Mixed Material Panel of Illumination, Qur'anic verses

About this Item

Title

  • Panel of Illumination, Qur'anic verses

Created / Published

  • 9th century

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Manuscripts, Arabic--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Iraq
  • -  Syria
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Kufi
  • -  Qur'anic verses

Notes

  • -  Panel of Illumination, Qur'anic verses written of parchment during the 9th century in the Kufi script.
  • -  But We saved him (Lot) and his family, / Except his wife: her We destined to be among those who lagged behind. (27:57)
  • -  Dimensions of Panel: 14.5 (w) x 7.3 (h) cm. Dimensions of Written Surface: 14.5 (w) x 8.6 (h) cm
  • -  On that fragment the text continues with verses 57-60. Together, these two folios form the beginning of the 20th part (juz') of the Qur'an, demarcated by a panel of illumination on the recto of this folio (1-84-154.37a R).
  • -  Surat al-Naml describes the wonders of the spiritual world. The stories of a number of prophets, such as Moses, Solomon, Salih, and Lut (Lot), are offered in order to distinguish true from false worship, and highlight the miracles of God's grace and revelation. In the story of Lot, those who are lustful, including Lot's wife, will suffer God's punishment:
  • -  This panel of illumination follows a standard type found in horizontal Qur'ans made of parchment during the 9th century (Déroche 1992: 130, cat. no. 73). The panel is divided into three registers along the horizontal. The outer register includes interlacing vines decorated with dots, the middle register consists of square and rectangular panels striated with gold lines, and the innermost panel is speckled with a field of diagonal lines composed of small gold and blue dots. A gold decorative finial projects into the left margin as a visual clue for the beginning of the juz'.
  • -  This panel of illumination marks the beginning of the 20th part (juz') of the Qur'an at verse 56 of the 27th chapter entitled Surat al-Naml (The Ants). Verses 56-60 of this surah appear on this folio's verso (1-84-154.37a V) and another fragment from the same Qur'an in the collections of the Library of Congress (1-84-154.37b R & V).
  • -  Script: Kufi
  • -  1-84-154.37a

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 20.5 (w) x 14.2 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714593

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Panel of Illumination, Qur'anic verses. 9th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714593/.

APA citation style:

Panel of Illumination, Qur'anic verses. 9th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714593/.

MLA citation style:

Panel of Illumination, Qur'anic verses. 9th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714593/>.