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Cover of the Qur’an
(غلاف مصحف)

Title	Cover of the Qur’an
Title Original	غلاف مصحف
Publication Date:	Late fourteenth century
Publication Place	- Museum of Islamic Art
Subject	Soon Mataba, religion and custom.
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	الارتفاع: 95 سم؛ العرض: 67 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	I. 5622
Record ID	object;ISL;de;Mus01;29;ar
Library Location	Museum of Islamic Art
Date	Late fourteenth century
Notes	This cover, decorated with geometric decoration, fits a Qur’an in one volume, and its large size indicates that it was used in a court. It was not possible to determine the type of Qur’an to which this cover belongs, but it is believed that the Qur’an is a gift from the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Shaaban II (764-778/1363-1376) to one of his charitable societies. There are still several copies of the Qur’an in the National Library in Cairo that were commissioned by the same person. Surrounding the middle field of the cover is a band of narrow width along the circumference on which is written the Throne Verse (verse 255 of Surat Al-Baqarah). The writing is contained within elongated decorative inscriptions alternating with four-lane images. The geometric decoration in the inner field consists of five twelve-pointed stars. These drawings were printed in advance and then decorated with gold and blue designs. The white areas around the stars clearly highlight this geometric decorative system. It is likely that a calligrapher and a painter collaborated to make this large cover. Special chairs were designed for such large Qur’an and made of precious materials, on which the Qur’an was placed during recitation.
Sample Text	Annette Hagedorn “Cover of the Qur’an” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;29;ar

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Museum With No Frontiers

Cover of the Qur’an

(غلاف مصحف)

Publication Date Late fourteenth century

Publication Place - Museum of Islamic Art

Subject Soon Mataba, religion and custom.

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions الارتفاع: 95 سم؛ العرض: 67 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID I. 5622

Record ID object;ISL;de;Mus01;29;ar

Library Location Museum of Islamic Art

Date Late fourteenth century

Notes This cover, decorated with geometric decoration, fits a Qur’an in one volume, and its large size indicates that it was used in a court. It was not possible to determine the type of Qur’an to which this cover belongs, but it is believed that the Qur’an is a gift from the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Shaaban II (764-778/1363-1376) to one of his charitable societies. There are still several copies of the Qur’an in the National Library in Cairo that were commissioned by the same person. Surrounding the middle field of the cover is a band of narrow width along the circumference on which is written the Throne Verse (verse 255 of Surat Al-Baqarah). The writing is contained within elongated decorative inscriptions alternating with four-lane images. The geometric decoration in the inner field consists of five twelve-pointed stars. These drawings were printed in advance and then decorated with gold and blue designs. The white areas around the stars clearly highlight this geometric decorative system. It is likely that a calligrapher and a painter collaborated to make this large cover. Special chairs were designed for such large Qur’an and made of precious materials, on which the Qur’an was placed during recitation.

Sample Text Annette Hagedorn “Cover of the Qur’an” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;29;ar