The "Great Umayyad Qur'an" From The Time Of Caliph Al-Walid
Islamic Awareness
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First Composed: 20 June 2006
Last Updated: 23 June 2006
A folio of the "Great Umayyad Qur'an" from San‘a' (Yemen).
Date
Late 1st century hijra, 710 - 715 CE in the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid.
Using palaeography, ornamentation and illumination of this manuscript, Hans-Caspar Graf von Bothmer dated it to the last decade of the 1st century of hijra, around 710 - 715 CE, in the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid. However, the radiocarbon dating of this manuscript suggests a date between 657 and 690 CE.
Inventory No.
20-33.1
Contents
Surah al-Muddaththir: verse number 56 to end. Surah al-Qiyama: verse number 1 to 26.
Script
Kufic
This monumental Qur'anic manuscript, perhaps one of the most well-studied, had the dimensions of 51 cm in length by 47 cm in width. Its origin appears to be from Syria. Hans-Caspar Graf von Bothmer from the University of Saarland, Germany, studied this manuscript in great deal from the point of view of script, ornamentation and illumination.
Location
Maktabat al-Jami‘ al-Kabir, San‘a' (Yemen).
References
[1] H-C. G. von Bothmer, "Masterworks Of Islamic Book Art: Koranic Calligraphy And Illumination In The Manuscripts Found In The Great Mosque In Sanaa", in W. Daum (ed.), Yemen: 3000 Years Of Art And Civilization In Arabia Felix, 1987?, Pinguin-Verlag (Innsbruck) and Umschau-Verlag (Frankfurt/Main), pp. 180-181.
[2] H-C. G. von Bothmer, "Architekturbilder Im Koran Eine Prachthandschrift Der Umayyadenzeit Aus Dem Yemen", Pantheon, 1987, Volume 45, pp. 4-20.
[3] M. B. Piotrovsky & J. Vrieze (Eds.), Art Of Islam: Heavenly Art And Earthly Beauty, 1999, De Nieuwe Kerk: Amsterdam & Lund Humphries Publishers, pp. 101-104.
[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. 45.
[5] Masahif San‘a', 1985, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah: Kuwait, p. 45.
[6] Memory Of The World: San‘a' Manuscripts, CD-ROM Presentation, UNESCO.
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