The “Great Umayyad Qur’an” From The Time Of Caliph Al-Walid

Date

Late 1st century hijra, 710 – 715 CE in the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid.

Using palaeography, ornamentation and illumination of this manuscript, Hans-Caspar Graf von Bothmer dated it to the last decade of the 1st century of hijra, around 710 – 715 CE, in the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid. However, the radiocarbon dating of this manuscript suggests a date between 657 and 690 CE.

Description

Surah al-Muddaththir: verse number 56 to end. Surah al-Qiyama: verse number 1 to 26.

Script

Kufic

This monumental Qur’anic manuscript, perhaps one of the most well-studied, had the dimensions of 51 cm in length by 47 cm in width. Its origin appears to be from Syria. Hans-Caspar Graf von Bothmer from the University of Saarland, Germany, studied this manuscript in great deal from the point of view of script, ornamentation and illumination.

Location

Maktabat al-Jami‘ al-Kabir, San‘a’ (Yemen).