MEDINA, SAUDI ARABIA, DATED AH 985 / 1577-8 AD

Miniature octagonal Qur’ans, also known as sançak (meaning banner in Turkish), grew in popularity in the 17th century. 16th century sançaks, such as this one, are far rarer. The script is ghubari which literally means ‘dust’, denoting the intricate nature of the writing. The style developed due to belief in talismanic properties of inscribing certain verses of the Qur’an onto objects. This miniature Qur’an would be small enough to carry with the owner on a daily basis, usually around the neck, bringing them protection. Alternatively, they would be hung in their silver boxes on an ‘alam (standard) and carried into battle. Examples can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.89.2.2156) and in the Morgan Library and Museum, the latter also with a 19th century silver case (acc.no. MS W.22). It is accompanied by a silver case which is likely to be dated later in the 18th or 19th century (N.F. Safwat, Qur'ans and Other Manuscripts from the Collection of Ghassan I. Shaker, Oxford, 2000, p.97, no. 18). A similar 16th century miniature Qur'an was sold in these Rooms, 27 Oct 2022, lot 30.