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Lot Essay
This Qur'an belongs to a small group of similar Qur'ans all of which were copied in Southern Spain. They are all fairly small, this being one of the larger of the group, and are similar in layout and illumination. All are square, and written in a small neat script which has been described as the Valencian script. Nine of the group have colophons, of which six were copied in Valencia. They have an opening page or pages of illumination, which here is sadly lacking. The sura headings are in gold kufic with illuminated palmettes and the text is written on rather white parchment with tightly spaced lines of around 21-28 lines to the page.
Other examples with which this may be compared are a single volume Qur'an in the collection of Nasser D. Khalili dated AH 596/1199-1200 AD (James, D.: The Master Scribes, Oxford, 1992, no.20, pp. 92-5); one in Cairo (Dodds, J.D.(ed): Al-Andalus, New York, 1992, no. 76, p.306); and one in Rabat (Dodds, op.cit no. 78, p. 308).
Spanish Qur'ans are few in number compared to North African Qur'ans as many were deliberately destroyed by the Christian conquerors of Spain. None exists in Spain itself with but few remaining in libraries in North Africa and the East, poignant reminders of Spain's glorious Islamic heritage.
Other examples with which this may be compared are a single volume Qur'an in the collection of Nasser D. Khalili dated AH 596/1199-1200 AD (James, D.: The Master Scribes, Oxford, 1992, no.20, pp. 92-5); one in Cairo (Dodds, J.D.(ed): Al-Andalus, New York, 1992, no. 76, p.306); and one in Rabat (Dodds, op.cit no. 78, p. 308).
Spanish Qur'ans are few in number compared to North African Qur'ans as many were deliberately destroyed by the Christian conquerors of Spain. None exists in Spain itself with but few remaining in libraries in North Africa and the East, poignant reminders of Spain's glorious Islamic heritage.