Timurid Quran manuscript

Short description: 15th-century Quranic manuscript

The Timurid Quran manuscript, also known as the Aqquyunlu Quran manuscript, is a 15th-century Timurid Quranic manuscript written on paper produced in the Ming dynasty.^[1] On 25 June 2020, it was sold at auction by Christie's for £7,016,250, surpassing its estimated value more than twelve-fold^[2] and rendering it the most expensive Quranic manuscript ever sold at the time.^[3]

Description

The manuscript consists of 534 folios, sized 22.6 x 15.5cm, largely comprising dyed, gold-flecked paper manufactured in Ming China. Infused with lead white, the paper is described as having a soft and silk-like texture. It is variously coloured pink, purple, cream, orange, blue and turquoise, with some pages containing depictions of landscapes, flora and birds.^[1] The Arabic is written using naskh script, with thuluth script used for titling surahs and the thirty juz'.^[1]

Controversy

The sale of the manuscript was condemned by several academics, who argued that doing so undermined its historical, cultural and spiritual value.^[4] Questions were also raised over its provenance, with critics stating that concealment by Christie's of its details before the 1980s could obscure possible instances of looting and trafficking.^[3]