Eternal Letters Qur’an Manuscripts from the Abdul Rahman Al Owais Collection - Andrew Butler-Wheelhouse - Paul Holberton - broché - Essai

Showcasing thirteen hundred years of Qur’anic calligraphy, this lavishly illustrated catalogue presents over 80 Qur’ans and Qur’an folios from a prominent private collection. For the specialist connoisseur and those new to the field of Islamic calligraphy alike, this publication presents a fresh perspective on this essential area of Islamic Art. The catalogue accompanies an exhibition at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. Arabic calligraphy, with its sinuous lines, is recognizable to nearly anyone anywhere today. Its aesthetic appeal transcends cultural boundaries, yet if one were to travel back in time and show it to the inhabitants of Arabia in the first century ce, they would not recognize it; for it simply did not exist. It would have beggared belief that a new alphabet from this part of the world would spread to the confines of the earth and become a major vehicle for the dissemination of knowledge over many centuries. Eternal Letters includes beautiful examples illustrat