Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art Showcasing Rare 1,000-Year-Old Blue Quran
According to MIA, this exquisite manuscript is one of the most exceptional and rarest manuscripts in the Islamic world.
Visitors can find the Blue Quran at the first gallery on level one, surrounded by other significant pieces from the museum’s impressive collection including the Cavour Vase, Varanasi necklace, Ramayana manuscript of Hamida Banu Begum, and the Franchetti tapestry. This diverse array of artifacts not only offers an overview of various Islamic art topics but also showcases the wide variety of materials utilized across the expansive geographical and historical scope of Islamic art, spanning three continents and 1,400 years.
A true marvel, the Blue Quran comprises 600 folios, making it an exceptional representation of early Islamic craftsmanship and artistry. This manuscript has been exhibited worldwide, gracing institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (The Met) and the National Institute of Art and Archaeology in Tunisia.
According to The Met, the folio originates from a lavish, multivolume Quran with indigo pages adorned with silver verse markers, likely copied in North Africa. The color palette is believed to be influenced by the purple-dyed, gilded manuscripts crafted in the neighboring Byzantine empire. As with other early Qurans, the script on this folio is designed to maintain uniform line lengths, omitting the marks necessary to differentiate between letters, which makes reading challenging.
Museums With No Frontiers (MWNF) which recently launched an online exhibit in the country that encompasses various art genres, including Islamic, European, contemporary, and Asian art said that the indigo dye used for the Blue Quran was sourced from Egypt or India, highlighting the developing trade between these regions in the 4th century AH (10th century AD). Additionally, the parchment was adorned with gold leaf, and secured using egg white. The script on the pages is compact and lacks diacritical signs, while the letters remain unadorned with dots.
To witness this extraordinary piece of history, visitors can either physically visit the Museum of Islamic Art or explore the museum’s online collection through Google Arts and Culture. Both avenues provide access to this timeless treasure, allowing enthusiasts to marvel at the beauty and significance of the Blue Quran and the wider array of Islamic art housed within the museum’s impressive walls.
