Qur'an manuscript

On these pages is the opening chapter of the Koran, the holy book of Islam. A scribe's colophon at the end of this book gives the date of its completion as February 22, 1718. A second colophon, added by the painter, records the completion of its decoration in April 1721. Throughout the many regions that were part of the Islamic world, calligrapher-scribes and manuscript artists produced numerous copies of the Koran. Compiled in written form in 651, its text contains the divine word that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet conveyed the divine message in Arabic, and so the language and script themselves acquired a sacred character. For this reason, calligraphy became one of the most exalted art forms in the Islamic world. The embellishments provided by painters added to the divine words the beauty that they were due. The copying of the Koran, like the copying of various Buddhist texts, was an act of devotion and merit.