Kodex Wetzstein II 1913 - A Qur'ān Located At Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, From 1st / 2nd Century Hijra

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First Composed: 1st June 2013

Last Updated: 13th April 2020

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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

(a)		(b)

(c)		(d)

Date

Second half of 1st century / early 2nd century of hijra.

Three folios of Kodex Wetzstein II 1913 were radiocarbon dated under the auspices of the Corpus Coranicum project. Folio 21 has been dated to 660–770 CE with 95.4% probability, with that range being broken down into a 64.2% probability that it dates to between 660 and 690 CE and a 31.2% probability that it dates to between 736 and 770 CE. Folio 104 has been dated to 659–765 CE with 95.4% probability, with that range being broken down into a 64.2% probability that it dates to between 659 and 715 CE and a 31.2% probability that it dates to between 743 and 765 CE. Folio 151 has been dated to 662–767 CE with 95.4% probability, with that range being broken down into a 67.5% probability that it dates to between 662 and 720 CE and a 27.9% probability that it dates to between 741 and 767 CE. Radiocarbon analyses of folios combinedly date the codex to 662–765 CE with 95.4% probability, with that range being broken down into a 72.8% probability that it dates to between 662 and 714 CE and a 22.6% probability that it dates to between 745 and 765 CE.^[1]

Accession Number

Wetzstein II 1913.^[2]

Size & Folios

Size: 34 cm x 27 cm. Written area is 28 cm x 22 cm.

Total number of folios: 216 = 210 (Wetzstein II 1913, Staatsbibliothek, Berlin) + 6 (Arabe 6087, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris).^[3] Originally, it may have contained 245-250 folios. The extant folios contain about 85% of the text of the Qur'an, thus making it one the earliest and almost complete ḥijāzī Qur'ans.^[4]

History Of The Manuscript

Not known.

Script & Ornamentation

Ḥijāzī. B1a according to the classification of Déroche.

Manuscript on parchment. 23-25 lines per page. The consonants are frequently differentiated by dashes. Six oval dots arranged in three rows in the form of a triangle to punctuate the verses. Every tenth verse is marked by a red hollow circle surrounded by a black dot. Red dots are very frequently used for vocalization. This was most likely done by a later hand.

The ink is brown black and has faded in many folios of the manuscript. The faded parts have been retouched by a dark black ink, especially extensively in the second half of the manuscript.

The sūrahs are separated by a red writing indicating the title of the sūrah. Sometimes it also mentions the mysterious letters of the Qur'an with which the sūrah starts.

Contents

The contents of the manuscript are tabulated below according to the folio listing of Kodex Wetzstein II 1913. The folios from Arabe 6087 are inserted to maintain the sūrah order.

Location

Staatsbibliothek, Berlin (Germany).

References

[1] M. J. Marx & T. J. Jocham, "Radiocarbon (¹⁴C) Dating Of Qur'ān Manuscripts", in A. Kaplony, M. Marx (Eds.), Qur'ān Quotations Preserved On Papyrus Documents, 7th-10th Centuries, 2019, Documenta Coranica: Volume 2, Brill: Leiden, pp. 188-221, esp. Table 6.2 on p. 216. Also see M. J. Marx & T. J. Jocham, "Zu Den Datierungen Von Koranhandschriften Durch Die ¹⁴C-Methode", Frankfurter Zeitschrift Für Islamisch-Theologische Studien, 2015, Volume 2, p. 25.

[2] W. Ahlwardt, Die Handschriften – Verzeichnisse Der Königlichen Bibliothek Zu Berlin, 1887, Volume VII – Verzeichniss Der Arabischen Handschriften, A. W. Schade's Buchdruckerei: Berlin, p. 105 (No. 305, We. 1913).

[3] F. Déroche, Catalogue Des Manuscrits Arabes: Deuxième Partie: Manuscrits Musulmans - Tome I, 1: Les Manuscrits Du Coran: Aux Origines De La Calligraphie Coranique, 1983, Bibliothèque Nationale: Paris, p. 67.

[4] M. Marx, "The Qur'an - The First Arabic Book", U. Franke, J. Gierlichs (Eds.) in collaboration with S. Vassilopoulou, L. Wagner, Roads Of Arabia - The Archaeological Treasures Of Saudi Arabia, 2011, Ernst Wasmuth Verlag: Tübingen / Berlin (Germany), pp. 194, 199.

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