An Early Ḥijāzī Qur’an Fragment at the Dār al-Kutub and its Berlin Counterpart

What is it about?

This paper examines two early Ḥijāzī Qurʾān fragments held at the Dār al-Kutub (Ms. 247 Maṣāḥif) in Cairo and Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Ms. or. fol. 4313) in Berlin. It begins with an overview of the manuscript’s general characteristics, followed by an analysis of their origins and provenance. Descriptions of the manuscripts cover their dimensions, colour, paleographical features, rasm (orthography), taʿshīr system, diacritical markings, line count, and handwriting styles. The paleographical and orthographic analysis, supported by radiocarbon dating (C14), provides insights into their dating. Initially dated to the ninth century by Bernhard Moritz and Rudolf Sellheim, the manuscripts were later re-examined by Adolf Grohmann and Sergio Noja Noseda, who suggested dating them to the first/seventh century. Recent radiocarbon dating of Ms. Or. Fol 4313 by the Corpus Coranicum project narrowed this to the period 15–30 ah/606–652 ce

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Photo by The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Unsplash

Photo by The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It sheds light on the developemnt of Ḥijāzī script and the devopelment of the Uthmanic orthograpghy. Further, it is a proof of the early documentation of the Holy Quran.

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