Study of an Early Qur’ānic Manuscript from the Mosque of ʻAmr ibn al-ʻĀṣ in Cairo

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Éléonore Cellard
Post-doctoral researcher, Collège de France
Abstract
This article contributes to the body of knowledge regarding early manuscripts of the Qurʾān by reporting the findings of a multidisciplinary investigation of the historical significance of a unique Qurʾānic copy. Discovered in the early nineteenth century CE in the Mosque of ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ in Fusṭāṭ (Old Cairo), the manuscript is distinctive for its monumental size, which suggests its significance in the production of Qurʾānic manuscripts. It is also notable for heterogeneous leaves, some of which were not part of the original volume, an indication of conservation issues throughout the centuries. The multidisciplinary study of this composite copy and its preservation provides insight into the history of the written transmission of the Qurʾān, from the first manuscripts ordered by the Caliph ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (r. 644-656) to the Fāṭimid copies in Egypt (969-1171).

Keywords

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