Kufic Script, Abbasid Bookhand

The form of Kufic script used, and the use of parchment instead of paper, suggest that the fragment is earlier than the 10th century. In general, Kufic script is one of the earliest forms of Arabic script of lapidary style, which served as a stage between modern Arabic writing and the Mesopotamian cuneiforms and Phoenician proto-writing. The more plain and jagged the Kufic letters are, the earlier their creation can be assumed. The development from plain Kufic to more ornamental forms, like foliated and floriated Kufic, did not happen until the middle of 10th century. Based on this information and the fact that this fragment is written in a very primitive form of Kufic, the date is almost certainly earlier than 10th century. Since North Africa was not completely under Muslim rule until the beginning of the 8th century, the date of the fragment must be sometime after that. Therefore, the 9th century is the most accurate conjecture. A comparison between the manuscript and a full table of different letter forms from North Africa in different dates also confirms this dating (see Arif, pt.3).

Noteworthy in this text is the fact that some of the words are broken at line endings. While this practice is common in manuscripts with Roman letters, in Arabic writing, because the letters are connected to form the words, such breaks can disrupt the text. One may speculate that this usage pertains to the form of the Arabic letters themselves (a less developed stage of Arabic writing), or it may be the case that North African scribes had not yet mastered Arabic writing by the time of the writing of this text. Both these speculations would corroborate that the text was written earlier than the 10th-century date assumed by Maggs Bros. and Witkam.

An old fragment of Qur’an, written on parchment with the size of 162 × 220 mm (largest measurement). 1 leaf with text on both sides, written in one column, 16 lines each side, in horizontal (landscape) orientation. Script identified by Jan Just Witkam as “Abbāsid bookhand”. No decoration or illumination; red dots written as either diacritics or vowel symbols.

Leaf is damaged, especially in the four corners, with three larger and a number of smaller holes in the middle of the parchment, likely from insects.

Jan Just Witkam suggests that vowels are written with red dots; however, based on familiarity with Arabic script and comparison with contemporary text of Qur’an, the red dots are more likely an early form of diacritics in Arabic script.

Witkam also suggests that the visible, primitive ten-verse dividers are possibly of a later date; however, even he observes that “there seems to be space left open for them”; this raises the question of whether they are guide-marks for unfinished decoration or an attempt to recreate something that had been in the original manuscript but was for some reason erased or unfinished.

Use of parchment instead of paper as well as the form of Kufic script used indicate Northern African origin.

The fragment was donated by Bruce and Dorothy Brown (as part of the Brown Collection) to the University of Victoria on 27 June 27 1996. The Browns acquired through Maggs Bros. Rare Books in London, who originally dated the fragment to the 10th century and placed it in North Africa.