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Illuminated Qur'an Folio - view 1
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Manuscripts · Mamluk Sultanate

Illuminated Qur'an Folio

Period
Late 14th century
Dynasty
Mamluk Sultanate
Origin
Cairo, Egypt
Material
Ink, opaque watercolour and gold on burnished laid paper
Dimensions
37.6 × 27.2 cm (folio)
Reference No.
SC-MSS-0118

A monumental folio from a thirty-volume Mamluk Qur'an, the text written in five lines of muḥaqqaq script in dense black ink, with rosettes marking each verse. The illuminated marginal medallion, tooled in lapis and gold, is composed of an eight-pointed star surrounded by petals of cloud-band scrolls - a hallmark of Cairene workshops active during the reign of Sultan Sha'ban.

Traces of a later waqf seal indicate its provenance from a royal madrasa.