Codex MIA 24145 – An Early Qurʾān At The Museum Of Islamic Art, Cairo, 1st /2nd Century Hijra

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First Composed: 17th October 2020

Last Updated: 12th February 2021

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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

(a)		(b)

(c)		(d)

(e)		(f)

Folios of Codex MIA 24145: (a) 14r, (b) 137r, (c) 216r, (d) 222r, (e) 243r, and (f) 274r. Sūra transitions as seen in folios 137r and 243r are devoid of any ornamentation or bands. Throughout the codex, the script varies showing elements of kufic as well as ḥijāzī.

Date

1st / 2nd century of hijra.^[1]

Folios & Size

Manuscript on parchment. Vertical format. This manuscript has 281 folios. The codex originally may have contained close to 325 folios. According to Altıkulaç's estimate, close to 40 leaves may have disappeared. The extant folios contain about 87% of the text of the Qurʾān.

The folio size is 38 cm × 40 cm, 17-18 lines per page. The written part is approximately 34 cm × 33 cm.

History Of The Manuscript

Codex MIA 24145 was among the collection of Prince Omar Sultan (Toussoun) before being transferred to the Dār al-Kutub, then finally to the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo.^[1] Presently located in the right wing of the museum in gallery/hall 00, this magnificent Qurʾān is situated directly in front of the main entrance and comprises part of the introductory area serving as a gateway to the rest of the museum. Perhaps the earliest mention of this codex was made by Dr. G.-R. Puin in January 1999 in a ‘clarification’ of Toby Lester’s article in Atlantic Monthly. He called it “[a] most spectacular (complete??) Hijazi Koran” that can be admired in the Islamic Museum of Cairo, “only a few meters from the entrance”. Furthermore, he added that there is no investigation, or publication about this manuscript.^[2] A facsimile edition of this manuscript was published by Dr. T. Altikulaç in 2014.^[3]

Script, Ornamentation & Peculiarities

C1 with ḥijāzī-like tendencies according to the classification of Déroche; written in brown ink. Consonants are indicated by dashes but the usage is not uniform. Red dots were added later for vocalization but used inconsistently. This manuscript is the work of several hands, most likely three, in terms of writing style; it is also reflected in the choice of verse separators. The manuscript begins with C1 style of writing with a set of three to five dashes as verse separators. Later, the hand gets switched and has elongated verticals with leaning to the right, showing ḥijāzī-like tendencies; but this is not used consistently. Verse separators here are indicated with three dashes. The third hand resembles the first one, with six dashes arranged in two rows used for verse separators. It is Medinan in regionality.

Contents

The contents of the manuscript are tabulated below.

Location

Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo (Egypt).

References & Notes

[1] A. Ben Abdellah et al. (Trans. J. Saib), The Languages Of The Prophets And The Sources Of The Divine Messages: Moses And Aaron-Jesus-Mohammad (Peace And Blessings Be Upon Them), 2005, Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization: Rabat (Morocco), Chapter 4 ("Samples of Qur'anic Manuscripts Of The First Century Hegira"). The details given for the manuscript are as follows: Ms. 24645 (given as Ms. 26145 in the image caption), ancient Hijaz-Kufi script, 270 written pages on leather 70 cm x 50 cm, 17 -18 lines per page. The authors say there is no microfilm available of the manuscript and they are aware of no studies on it. It was among the collection of Prince Omar Sultan before being transferred to the Dār Al-Kutub, then finally to the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo.

[2] Written in January 1999 as a ‘clarification’ of Toby Lester’s article in Atlantic Monthly, Dr. Puin said, “A most spectacular (complete??) Hijazi Koran can be admired in the Islamic Museum of Cairo, only a few meters from the entrance, in a special vitrine to the right of the main route; this treasure is in Egypt since 1300 years or so, but I know of no investigation, of no publication on its peculiarities!” (accessed 27th December 2011).

[3] T. Altikulaç, Mushaf-i Şerîf (Kahire İslâm Sanatları Müzesi Nüshası), 2014, IRCICA: Istanbul (Turkey).

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