A rare copy of a 13th century Quran comes to Tatarstan
Mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin’s Quran collection has been enriched by yet another volume, which is a copy of a handwritten 13th century Holy Book. The valuable exhibit was presented to Kamil, an Islamic spiritual leader by General of the Army Mikhail Moiseyev.
The Quran presented to Mufti of Tatarstan on October 25th came into Mikhail Moiseyev’s possession in 1994 during his visit to Syria in the capacity of Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Mustafa Tlass, Minister of Defense of Syria (1972-2002) gave him the Quran as a souvenir.
«This Quran was kept in my private collection as a family treasure and now I’m glad this part of my soul will be for ever present at the Qolşärif Mosque,» Mikhail Moiseyev said handing the relic over to Kamil Samigullin. Mr. Samigullin, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan spoke on the copy’s unique features, «This is a copy of a 13th century Quran. Such copies are rarely printed. The original is kept in one of Istanbul’s mosques.»
The Arab calligraphy style used in Quran writing is called Nasḫ. It is characterized by horizontal, reserved handwriting with thin lines and rounded elements.
Kamil Samigullin remarked that his private Quran collection comprises over fifty books, featuring a silver Quran presented by Igor Shuvalov, First Deputy Prime Minister and a Quran from Mehmet Görmez, President of the Presidency of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.
«The Quran I’ve been presented today is an exquisite example of calligraphy development,» Mr. Samigullin pointed out, adding that he was planning to exhibit some of his Qurans in the near future.
A rare copy of a 13th century Quran comes to Tatarstan