Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-25.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Of Hijra

Islamic Awareness

© Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.

First Composed: 9th May 2009

Last Updated: 14th May 2009

Bookmark and Share

(a) UNESCO Image No.151250B
(b) UNESCO Image No.151251B

(c) Maṣāḥif Ṣanʿāʾ, 1985

(d) UNESCO Image No. 026001B

Folios from codex DAM 01-25.1

Date

1st century of hijra.[1]

Inventory No.

DAM 01-25.1

Size & Folios

The folios have the approximate dimensions of 34.0 cm (height) x 27.0 cms (width). The codex consists of 29 folios.[2]

History Of The Manuscript

This manuscript was found in the Great Mosque in Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.

Script & Ornamentation

Ḥijāzī.

There are few diacritical marks but no vocalization. The verses divisions indicate the beginning of the usage of simple ornamentation which is nothing but adjacent strokes. Set of strokes arranged as a triangle or rectangle or even a straight line represent end of a verse. Every tenth verse has a circle enclosing set of strokes. The end of one sūrah and the beginning of another is usually indicated by an empty space.

Contents

It has Qur'an 1:7–46:17 (fragmented, not sequential text). An interesting feature of this early ḥijāzī manuscript is the presence of sūrah al-Fātiḥah [Figure (a)] which is followed immediately by sūrah al-Baqarah. The presence of sūrah al-Fātiḥah is rare in the Qur'ans from first century hijra, the only other known example being the “Great Umayyad Qur'ān”, DAM 20-33.1, also from Ṣanʿāʾ.

Below are the published folios of this codex.[3]

Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-25.1
Folio Number Qur'anic Surah Size of the Folio (cm.) Image Publication
– 1:7 – 2:16 (31.0 x 20.0) UNESCO Image No. 151250B
– 7:29 – 7:37 34.0 x 37.0 UNESCO Image No. 151251B
– 7:37 – 7:44 + 7:204 – 8:17 (bifolio) 33.8 x 26.2 Maṣāḥif Ṣanʿāʾ, 1985; von Bothmer et al., 1999[4]; Déroche, 2002[5]
– 42:49 – 43:13 + 43:13 – 43:32 (bifolio) 33.0 x 36.0 UNESCO Image No. 026001B
– 26:122 – 26:156 (33.0 x 18.0) UNESCO Image No. 151252B
– 41:1 – 41:16 33.0 x 26.0 UNESCO Image No. 151253B

Location

Dār al-Makhṭūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.

Bookmark and Share

References

[1] Maṣāḥif Ṣanʿāʾ, 1985, Dār al-Athar al-Islamiyyah: Kuwait, pp. 60-61, Plate 3.

[2] S. Noja Noseda, "La Mia Vista A Sanaa E Il Corano Palinseto", Rendiconti: Classe Di Lettere E Scienze Morali E Storiche, 2003 (Published 2004), Volume 137, Fasc. 1, p. 54.

[3] Compiled from Memory Of The World: Ṣanʿāʾ Manuscripts, CD-ROM Presentation by UNESCO. Also see K. Small & E. Puin, "UNESCO CD of Ṣanʿāʾ Mss. Part 3: Qur'ān Palimpsests, And Unique Qur'ān Illustrations", Manuscripta Orientalia, 2007, Volume 13, Number 2, pp. 63, 68-69.

[4] H-C. G. von Bothmer, K-H. Ohlig & G-R. Puin, "Neue Wege Der Koranforschung", Magazin Forschung (Universität des Saarlandes), 1999, No. 1, p. 34.

[5] F. Déroche, "New Evidence About Umayyad Book Hands" in Essays In Honour Of Ṣalāḥ Al-Dīn Al-Munajjid, 2002, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation Publication: No. 70, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation: London (UK), pp. 620-621.

The images above are reproduced from the stated sources under the provisions of the copyright law. This allows for the reproduction of portions of copyrighted material for non-commercial, educational purposes.

With the exception for those images which have passed into the public domain, the use of these images for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited without the consent of the copyright holder.

Back To The Qur'anic Manuscripts