Sana'a palimpsest
Type:
Qur'ans
Date:
578–669
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Yemen
Medium:
Parchment
Description:
According to tradition, the Great Mosque of Sana'a was started near the end of the Prophet Muhammad's life, ca. 630, and built to his specifications. In 1972, fragments from one of the oldest Qur'anic manuscripts were discovered during restorations of this mosque. The parchment has been radiocarbon dated to between 578 and 669. It is called the Sana'a Palimpsest because of its multiple layers. The older layer was erased and a newer layer, with a revised Qur'anic text, was written over it. The upper text likely dates to the late seventh or early eighth century, after the standardization of the Qur'an.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
3,
4
Repository and Online Resources:
• Read more about the Sana'a Palimpsest on the website of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, Hamburg.
• The Old City of Sana'a is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
• Visit the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies' website for Islamic Manuscript Basics.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons
Tags:
Western Asian,
Islamic,
Islamicate,
Access to the sacred,
Arabic,
Qur'an
