Qur'an of Ibn al-Bawwab
Type:
Illuminated manuscripts,
Qur'ans
Date:
1000
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Iraq
Medium:
Paper
Dimensions:
18.3 × 14.5 cm
Description:
In the year 1000, Abu'l Hasan 'Ali b. Hilal (d. 1022), more commonly known as Ibn al-Bawwab ("son of the doorkeeper"), wrote and decorated this Qur'an in Baghdad. He conveyed these details of the manuscript's production in the colophon. His elaborate ornamentation is visible in the marginal palmettes marking the beginnings of suras and in the five double-pages of polychrome ornament. The master calligrapher used pigments, ink, and gold on paper—making it one of the oldest copies of the Qur'an on paper. Of the sixty-four Qur'an manuscripts Ibn al-Bawwab is said to have created, only this one has survived.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
6
Repository and Online Resources:
• Flip through the manuscript on the Chester Beatty website.
• Visit the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies' website for Islamic Manuscript Basics.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons
