Arabic Legal Text

F-y35z

Middletown, CT, Wesleyan University Library, Z113 .E33 1900z

General Information

Title Mohammedan Law
Material fine glazed paper
Place of Origin Istanbul, Turkey
Date of Origin late 18th century
Script, Hands

Shikastah script

General Remarks

This book of law, based on the Koran, is in a fine, well-written Shikastah book-hand on thin, egg-white glazed paper. The brilliance and accuracy of the burnished gold, the perfection of the margins, as well as the delicacy of the calligraphy, are admirable and surprising. It seems strange that in 1794 A.D., a quarter century after the introduction of printing, a reference book of law should be written, and that it should have this time and effort-consuming perfection.