Islamic manuscript history
editProduction history
editIslamic manuscripts were produced in different ways depending on their use and time period. Parchment (vellum) was a common way to produce manuscripts.[1] Manuscripts eventually transitioned to using paper in later centuries with the diffusion of paper making in the Islamic empire. When Muslims encountered paper in Central Asia, its use and production spread to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and North Africa during the 8th century. [2]
Islamic Scripts
editThe development of scripts in the Islamic Empire, demonstrates the transition from an oral culture to convey information to written.Traditionally speaking in the Islamic empire, Arabic calligraphy was the common form of recording texts. Calligraphy is the practice or art of decorative handwriting. [3] The demand for calligraphy in the early stages of the Islamic empire (circa 7-8th century) can be attributed to a need to produce Qur'an manuscripts. During the Ummayad period, Kufic scrips were typically seen in Qur'an manuscripts. [4]
Common genres of Islamic manuscripts
editIslamic manuscripts include a variety of topics such as religious, medical, astrological, and literature.
Religious
editQur'anic:
A common religious manuscript would be a copy of the Qur'an, which is the sacred book of Islam. The Qur'an is believed by Muslims to be a divine revelation (the word of god) to the prophet Muhammed, revealed to him by Archangel Gabriel. [5] Qur'an manuscripts can vary in form and function. Certain manuscripts were larger in size for ceremonial purposes, others being smaller and more transportable. An example of a Qur'an manuscript is the Blue Koran. The Blue Koran is ceremonial in nature, which a Hafiz would utilize. It has gold Kufic script, on parchment dyed blue with indigo.[6] Many Qur'an manuscripts are divided into 30 equal sections (juz) to be able to be read over the course of 30 days[7]. The Chinese practice of writing on paper, presented to the Islamic world around the 8th century, enabled Qur'ans to be begin to be written on paper. The decrease in production costs of Qur'an manuscripts due to the transition from parchment to paper enabled Qur'ans to be utilized more frequently for personal use/worship, rather than just ceremonial settings. [3]
Literature
editScientific Manuscripts:
Many early illustrated Arabic manuscripts are affiliated with scientific subjects. Scientific manuscripts discuss a variety of topics including but not limited to astronomy, astrology, anatomy, botany, and zoology.[8] The development of early illustrated scientific manuscripts began under the Islamic Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad in approximately the mid 8th century. This development is primarily attributed to the translation of Greek scientific and learned works, and the pursuit of original scholarship in science, medicine, and philosophy in Arabic.[9] An example of an Arabic scientific manuscript is the Book of the Fixed Stars by Abd al-Rahman b. Umar al-Sufi. This manuscript is a catalog of stars and their constellations, commissioned by the patron the Buyid prince Adud al-Dawla. [9] The Book of the Fixed Stars based most of its content on Ptolemy's Mathematik Syntaxis (Almagest), which was translated from Greek to Arabic during the 9th century. Al-Sufi's included his own observations of Ptolemy's material into his manuscript as well.[10]
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- ^ Bloom, Jonathan. (cop. 2001). Paper before print : the history and impact of paper in the Islamic world. Yale University Press. p. 12. ISBN 0300089554. OCLC 830505350.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Bloom, Jonathan. (cop. 2001). Paper before print : the history and impact of paper in the Islamic world. Yale University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0300089554. OCLC 830505350.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b George, Alain (2017-06-20), "The Qurʾan, Calligraphy, and the Early Civilization of Islam", A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 109–129, ISBN 9781119069218, retrieved 2019-11-04
- ^ George, Alain (2017-06-20), "The Qurʾan, Calligraphy, and the Early Civilization of Islam", A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 109–129, ISBN 9781119069218, retrieved 2019-11-04
- ^ www.metmuseum.org http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/qura/hd_qura.htm. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Bloom, Jonathan M. (2015-01-01). "The Blue Koran Revisited". Journal of Islamic Manuscripts. 6 (2–3): 196–218. doi:10.1163/1878464x-00602005. ISSN 1878-4631.
{{cite journal}}: no-break space character in|first=at position 9 (help) - ^ Ekhtiar, Maryam. "Early Qur'ans (8th–Early 13th Century)". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hoffman, Eva R. 2000. The Beginnings of the Illustrated Arabic Book: An Intersection between Art and Scholarship. In Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, XVII, pg.38.
- ^ a b Hoffman, Eva R. 2000. The Beginnings of the Illustrated Arabic Book: An Intersection between Art and Scholarship. In Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, XVII, pg. 44.
- ^ Hoffman, Eva R. 2000. The Beginnings of the Illustrated Arabic Book: An Intersection between Art and Scholarship. In Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, XVII, pg. 47.