Qur’an

A copy of the Qur’an, the central religious text of Islam. Copied by Mustafa Aben Abdullah, approximately 200 years ago, during the Qajar dynasty.

Illuminated Qur’an with script written in black ink. Covers made of brown leather, with incised and painted decorations. Spine made of painted cloth. Front cover has a raised, inner border, outlined in black paint on the outer edge and a wide band of gold leaf along the inner edge. Alternating incised lines and dots along the raised portion. Lines done in black, circles in gold. In the centre of the cover is a raised oval, with pointed ends, outlined in gold and black. Black curvilinear motifs across surface of oval, with impressed dots on each side. Dots are filled with gold leaf. Back cover has a raised, inner border, outlined in black and gold on either side. Covers lined with paper. Each page of the Qur’an has lines of script, with floral motifs throughout sentences, bordered by simple black and gold lines. The first two pages are highly decorated. Motifs are done in gold and blue, with pink, red, white and orange highlights throughout. Designs include curvilinear lines, feathers, flowers and arrows. Gold, red and blue decorative bands, with floral motifs, divide sections of text. Some pages have curvilinear designs along the edges. Designs are done in gold, blue and red, and filled with floral motifs. Pencil inscription on last page.