Illumination

Written early Holy Qur’ans were simple and austere in their execution of calligraphy. They generally lacked decorative elements and were frugal in the use of space and material. This was understandable in view of the puritanism of early Islam and the dearth of suitable material on which the Holy Qur’an could be recorded. The earliest recordings of parts of the Holy Qur’an were on a variety of relatively scarce media such as leather, tree bark, wood and even stone allowing little space for decorative additions to the text.

By the end of the first Islamic century, and with the growth of available resources, decorative elements began to appear at Sura (Chapter) headings of written Holy Qur’ans. These elements became more elaborate in their style and use in colour as time passed and reached very high levels of sophistication with the advent of the use of paper, by the turn of the 4th Century Hijra, (11th Century). By that time, illumination and colour were introduced in the recording of Holy Qur’ans with great flourish of complex strap work designs with Sura (Chapter) titles drawn in monumental Kufic or other scripts, particularly in the grand cursive script ‘Thulth’’. The Sura (Chapter) titles were drawn against highly decorative and elaborate backgrounds of foliated arabesque scrolls in gold and colour. The pallet for these beautiful designs was predominantly in shades of blue, though other colours were also used depending on the preference of the Islamic region where the work was executed. The use of gold in these decorative elements remained popular in all areas.

The tradition of introducing ornaments to written Holy Qur’ans remains strong today where many printed Holy Qur’ans are decorated in traditional patterns of gold and colour. However, the earlier great traditions from the Abbasid, Andalusian, Mamluk Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, and Qajar periods remain enduring monuments of beauty and sophistication in the art of book illumination. Visit our Manuscript Gallery.