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Qur’an Al-Ishraq
(مصحف الإشراق)

Title	Qur’an Al-Ishraq
Title Original	مصحف الإشراق
Publication Date:	Hijri 971 / AD 1564
Publication Place	Iran - Museum of Arts and Crafts (MKG)
Subject	Binding in leather with gold work and inscriptions from the Qur’an. Inner surface: perforated decoration in leather on colored paper, ink and gold leaf on paper.
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	Yes
Physical Dimensions	الارتفاع : 49.5 سم ، الطول : 36.5 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	1893. 250
Record ID	object;EPM;de;Mus21;2;ar
Library Location	Museum of Arts and Crafts (MKG)
Date	Hijri 971 / AD 1564
Notes	This richly illuminated Qur'an, previously owned by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III (1703-13), was produced in the 16th century in Iran. The text is elegantly written in Muhaqqaq script, with alternating lines in gold and black, which is characteristic of Qur’ans from that period. Many of the pages are intricately decorated in gold, blue and red ink, like the first gilded verses that were copied in gold in Thuluth script. The book is bound in embossed leather with gold plates decorated with floral patterns and epigraphic inscriptions. The overall decoration and color scheme of this book is characteristic of manuscripts from the sixteenth century in Iran. Compared with earlier examples from the Safavid period, this Qur’an is an example of later, clearer manuscripts in which drawings and color schemes became more prominent. Although blue and gold are still the dominant colors, other color intensities, including red, black and white, are also used, creating a more diverse color combination. The calligrapher and place of production of the manuscript can be identified from the publisher’s symbol: “Executed by Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Tabrizi al-Khalil in Tabriz, northwest Iran. It consists of 22 pieces and was completed in the month of Sha’ban in the year 972 AH (March 1565).” Although Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Tabrizi was not mentioned in any historical source, many manuscripts were signed by him between the years 1554 and 1581 (see Farhad, Writing 2016, p. 280). Additional manuscripts attributed to this calligrapher are located in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul (Lot No. 180, 211, 248, 422, 423). In addition to Tabriz, cities such as Shiraz, Qazvin, Mashhad, and Herat were the most famous centers for the production of copies of the Qur’an.
Sample Text	“The Qur’an Al-Ishraq” is part of Discover Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;de;Mus21;2;ar
Bu sayfanın künyesi	Copyedited by:Caitlin LINK
Seçili bibliyografya	Deroche, F. and von Gladiss, A.,Buchkunst zur Ehre Allahs: Der Prachtkoran, Berlin: Museum für Islamische Kunst, 1999.Farhad, M. and Rettig, S.,The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Washington, D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 2016: 260.Karolewski, J. and Köse, Y., "Wunder der erschaffenen Dinge: Osmanische Manuskripte in Hamburger Sammlungen,"Manuscript Cultures, 9 (2016): 175-190.Rebhan, H.,Prachtkorane aus tausend Jahren: Handschriften aus dem Bestand der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek München, Munich: Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek, 1998.Schimmel, A. et al.,Islamic Calligraphy, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992.

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Museum With No Frontiers

Qur’an Al-Ishraq

(مصحف الإشراق)

Publication Date Hijri 971 / AD 1564

Publication Place Iran - Museum of Arts and Crafts (MKG)

Subject Binding in leather with gold work and inscriptions from the Qur’an. Inner surface: perforated decoration in leather on colored paper, ink and gold leaf on paper.

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript Yes

Physical Dimensions الارتفاع : 49.5 سم ، الطول : 36.5 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID 1893. 250

Record ID object;EPM;de;Mus21;2;ar

Library Location Museum of Arts and Crafts (MKG)

Date Hijri 971 / AD 1564

Notes This richly illuminated Qur'an, previously owned by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III (1703-13), was produced in the 16th century in Iran. The text is elegantly written in Muhaqqaq script, with alternating lines in gold and black, which is characteristic of Qur’ans from that period. Many of the pages are intricately decorated in gold, blue and red ink, like the first gilded verses that were copied in gold in Thuluth script. The book is bound in embossed leather with gold plates decorated with floral patterns and epigraphic inscriptions. The overall decoration and color scheme of this book is characteristic of manuscripts from the sixteenth century in Iran. Compared with earlier examples from the Safavid period, this Qur’an is an example of later, clearer manuscripts in which drawings and color schemes became more prominent. Although blue and gold are still the dominant colors, other color intensities, including red, black and white, are also used, creating a more diverse color combination. The calligrapher and place of production of the manuscript can be identified from the publisher’s symbol: “Executed by Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Tabrizi al-Khalil in Tabriz, northwest Iran. It consists of 22 pieces and was completed in the month of Sha’ban in the year 972 AH (March 1565).” Although Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Tabrizi was not mentioned in any historical source, many manuscripts were signed by him between the years 1554 and 1581 (see Farhad, Writing 2016, p. 280). Additional manuscripts attributed to this calligrapher are located in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul (Lot No. 180, 211, 248, 422, 423). In addition to Tabriz, cities such as Shiraz, Qazvin, Mashhad, and Herat were the most famous centers for the production of copies of the Qur’an.

Sample Text “The Qur’an Al-Ishraq” is part of Discover Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;de;Mus21;2;ar

Bu sayfanın künyesi Copyedited by:Caitlin LINK

Seçili bibliyografya Deroche, F. and von Gladiss, A.,Buchkunst zur Ehre Allahs: Der Prachtkoran, Berlin: Museum für Islamische Kunst, 1999.Farhad, M. and Rettig, S.,The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Washington, D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 2016: 260.Karolewski, J. and Köse, Y., "Wunder der erschaffenen Dinge: Osmanische Manuskripte in Hamburger Sammlungen,"Manuscript Cultures, 9 (2016): 175-190.Rebhan, H.,Prachtkorane aus tausend Jahren: Handschriften aus dem Bestand der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek München, Munich: Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek, 1998.Schimmel, A. et al.,Islamic Calligraphy, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992.