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

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First Composed: 9th May 2009

Last Updated: 3rd June 2011

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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

(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 33.5 cm (height) x 26.0 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

ijāzī.

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 1:5–46:17 (fragmented, not sequential text). An interesting feature of this early ijāzī 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 1st century hijra, the only other known example being the “Great Umayyad Qur'ān”, DAM 20-33.1, also from Ṣanʿāʾ.

Below are the folios of this codex.[3]

Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-25.1
Folios Qur'anic Surah / Ayah Size of the Folio (cm.) Image Publication Comments
1a No text
1b 1:5 - 1:7; 2:1 - 2:16 (31.0 x 20.0) UNESCO Image No. 151250B
2a 7:29 - 7:37 34.0 x 37.0 UNESCO Image No. 151251B
2b 7:37 - 7:44 33.8 x 26.2 Maṣāḥif Ṣanʿāʾ, 1985; von Bothmer et al., 1999[4]; Déroche, 2002[5]
3a

7:44 - 7:54

3b 7:54 - 7:69
4a 7:69 - 7:80
4b 7:80 - 7:89
5a

7:89 - 7:103

5b

7:103 - 7:129

6a

7:129 - 7:142

6b

7:142 - 7:153

7a 7:154 - 7:160
7b

7:160 - 7:170

8a

7:170 - 7:188

8b

7:188 - 7:204

9a 7:204 - 7:206; 8:1 - 8:17 33.8 x 26.2 Maṣāḥif Ṣanʿāʾ, 1985; von Bothmer et al., 1999[4]; Déroche, 2002[5]
9b

8:17 - 8:34

10a

10:22 - 10:35

10b

10:35 - 10:51

11a

11:6 - 11:17

11b 11:17 - 11:31
12a

17:93 - 17:96

12b 17:100 - 17:111
13a 18:22 - 18:31
13b

18:32 - 18:45

14a (19:46) Fragment
14b (19:64) Fragment
15a (20:72) Fragment
15b (20:86) Fragment
16a

24:2 - 24:13

16b 24:14 - 24:25
17a

24:27 - 24:33

17b

24:34 - 24:43

18a 26:83 - 26:121
18b

26:122 - 26:156

(33.0 x 18.0) UNESCO Image No. 151252B
19a (26:167 - 26:189) Fragment
19b (26:208 - 26:227) Fragment
20a

33:20 - 33:33

20b 33:34 - 33:45
21a

39:34 - 39:48

21b 39:49 - 39:67
22a 41:2 - 41:16 33.0 x 26.0 UNESCO Image No. 151253B
22b 41:20 - 41:30
23a

41:31 - 41:47

23b 41:47 - 41:54; 42:1 - 42:11
24a 42:11 - 42:20
24b

42:20 - 42:36

25a

42:36 - 42:49

25b 42:49 - 42:53; 43:1 - 43:13 33.0 x 36.0 UNESCO Image No. 026001B Bifolio
26a

43:13 - 43:32

26b 43:32 - 43:60
27a

43:60 - 43:85

27b 43:85 - 43:89; 44:1 - 44:37
28a

44:37 - 44:59; 45:1 - 45:10

28b 45:10 - 45:29
29a (45:35 - 45:37; 46:1 - 46:3) Fragment
29b (46:15 - 46:17) Fragment

 

Location

Dār al-Makhṭūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.

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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] A. Fedeli, "I Manoscritti Di Sanaa: Fogli Sparsi Che Diventano Corani" in F. Aspesi, V. Brugnatelli, A. L. Callow & C. Rosenzweig (Eds.), Il Mio Cuore È A Oriente: Studi Di Linguistica Storica, Filologia E Cultura Ebraica Dedicati A Maria Luisa Mayer Modena, 2008, Cisalpino: Milano, pp. 30-31. The table of contents provided here contains a few typos. Fedeli has kindly provided the authors with an updated folio by folio breakdown based on her second examination of the manuscript. Other resources used are Memory Of The World: Ṣanʿāʾ Manuscripts, CD-ROM Presentation by UNESCO and 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.

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