Manuscripts · a Light

A Qur'an written in gold on indigo dyed parchment

The Blue Qur'an is a manuscript whose parchment leaves were dyed a deep indigo blue and then written on in gold Kufic script, with silver rosettes marking the verses that have since tarnished to grey. It was made in the ninth or tenth century and was recorded in the library of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, where an inventory of 1294 describes a Qur'an in blue and gold. Where it was actually produced is still disputed between North Africa, Iraq and Muslim Spain. The volume has been broken up. Its leaves are now scattered across museums in Tunisia, Europe and the United States, and single pages appear at auction, which is why no one can say how long the complete book once was.

North Africa · 9th or 10th century