Section from a Qur'an endowed by Sultan Qansuh al-Ghawri, Cairo, Mamluk, Egypt
Late 15th Century
10 9/16 x 7 3/16 x 11/16 in. (26.9 x 18.2 x 1.7 cm)
Egyptian artist
Egypt
Object Type:
Book
Medium and Support:
Leather bound book with calligraphy, gold and color
Credit Line:
The Marie Adelaide Devine Fund
Accession Number:
2008.69
Location: Currently on view
Sultan Qansuh al-Ghawri (r. 1501-1517), the last ruler of Mamluk Egypt (1250-1517), presented a multi-volume Qur’an to the madrasah, or theological seminary and law school, located in his extensive mosque complex in Cairo. This section contains the text from Surah (chapter) 46, v. 1 (the Dunes) through Surah 51, v. 29 (the Winnowing Winds). Although the highly-decorated inscription on the opening folio states that Qansuh al-Ghawri presented the Qur’an on July 20, 1503 (Muharram AH 909 in the Islamic calendar), the style of script and illumination suggest that the manuscript itself dates to the late 1400s.
[Gallery label text, 2009]