Walters Ms. W.554, Koran al-Qurʾān القرآن Principal cataloger Gacek, Adam Cataloger Landau, Amy Cataloger Smith, Sita Copy editor Bockrath, Diane Contributor Barrera, Christina Contributor Emery, Doug Contributor Herbert, Lynley Contributor Noel, William Contributor Simpson, Shreve Contributor Tabritha, Ariel Contributor Toth, Michael B. Contributor Valle, Chiara Conservator Jewell, Stephanie Conservator Quandt, Abigail The Walters Art Museum

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 This horizontal-format manuscript on parchment is a collection of illuminated fragments of the Qur'an, dating to the late third century AH / ninth CE and possibly to the fifth century AH / eleventh CE. The earlier text is written in an Early Abbasid (Kufic) script, and the later text is in a hand influenced by the New Abbasid (broken cursive) style. Both are in dark brown ink and vocalized with red dots. The codex opens with an illuminated frontispiece (fol. 1a) of geometric design and closes with a similarly decorated finispiece (fol. 77b). Illuminated forms include chapter headings in gold ink with polychrome palmettes extending into the margin, tashdīds highlighted in gold ink, and verse markers for individual verses and groups of five and ten verses. The blind-tooled black goatskin binding, which is attributable to Egypt, is an important example of early Islamic bookbinding. Baltimore The Walters Art Museum W.554 The primary language in this manuscript is Arabic. 1a - 77b al-Qurʾān القرآن Contains chapters 1 (Sūrat al-fātiḥah) (fol. 1b); 23 (Sūrat al-muʾminūn), verses 64-77 (fol. 2a-b); 34 (Sūrat al-sabā), verses 1-7 (fol. 3a-b); 23 (Sūrat al-muʾminūn), verse 92 through chapter 28 (Sūrat al-qaṣaṣ), verse 87 (fols. 4a-45b); 29 (Sūrat al-ʿankabūt), verses 10-33 (fols. 46a-74b); and 34 (Sūrat al-sabā), verses13-23 (fols. 75a-77a) Foliation: ii+77+ii17.5 27.5 12.5 22.0

None Fol. 3 misbound, now before fol. 75

 Early fragments written in an Early Abbasid (Kufic) script; later folios written in a hand influenced by the New Abbasid (broken cursive) style; both scripts vocalized by means of red dots Illuminated frontispiece and finispiece; chapter headings in gold ink with polychrome palmettes extending into the margin; rosettes in gold with colored dots for each verse; polychrome medallions with petal borders for groups of five and ten verses; tashdids in gold ink Binding Binding This binding is attributable to Egypt and may date to the fifth century AH / eleventh CE. The central medallion is defined by two round lobes and two triangular projections. The overall application of a small tool with a six-pointed star is an unusual feature. An identical tool is also applied to the cornerpieces. The frame is defined by a tooled decoration of stylized leaves. Illuminated frontispiece of geometrical design in gold and blue Frontispiece This full-page illuminated frontispiece with geometrical decoration in gold and blue has a marginal palmette at left which is cropped. Illuminated incipit and chapter heading for chapter 1 of the Qur'an Sūrat al-fātiḥah Incipit; chapter heading This illuminated incipit page bears a chapter heading for chapter 1 (Sūrat al-fātiḥah). The final verse is followed by a design of zigzag motifs and stylized leaves in gold ink. Illuminated finispiece of geometric design in gold and blue with marginal palmette Finispiece This illuminated finispiece of geometric design in gold and blue has a marginal palmette.

Probably fifth century AH / eleventh CE; blind-tooled black goatskin (without flap); central medallion defined by two round lobes and two triangular projections; overall application of a small tool with a six-pointed star; identical tool applied to cornerpieces; inner frame defined by a tooled decoration of stylized leaves; central form in which multiple small circles enclose the six-pointed star; cornerpieces; outer frame

 Late 3rd century AH / 9th CE; fols. 2 and fols. 4-25 added much later, probably in the 5th century AH / 11th CE Central Arab lands Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest Relevant Works Ettinghausen, Richard. "The Covers of the Morgan Manāfi' Manuscript and Other Early Persian Bookbindings." Studies in Art and Literature for Belle da Costa Greene, edited by Dorothy Miner. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1954: 459-473. Art Medicine Museum Poetry Script Muhammad, the Prophet Kashmiri Horses Walters Art Museum Document Astrology Devotion History Legal Literature -- Poetry Literature -- Prose Liturgy Philosophy Science Science -- Medicine Scripture Sufism Theology Mineralogy Logic Geography Geomancy Cosmology Cartography Fortune-telling Koran Qur`an Firman Palimpsest Prayer Bible Gospels Psalter Missal Lectionary Book of Hours Antiphonary Homilary Processional Horologion Breviary Hymnal Chronicle Maghreb Sub-Saharan (West) Africa Turkey Afghanistan Central Asia Egypt England India Iran Iraq Pakistan Germany France Austria Netherlands Ethiopia Armenia Flanders Greece Mamluk Mughal Ottoman Ottonian Armenian Byzantine Abbasid Qajar Rajput Christian Arabic Austrian Dutch Egyptian Fatimid German Indian Islamic Persian Safavid Timurid Turkish Umayyad English French Flemish Ethiopian Carolingian Calligraphy Colophon Headpiece Illumination Illustration Medallion Miniature Ornament Painting Early Abbasid script Ragini Romanesque Gothic Watermark Grotesques Historiated initial Inhabited initial White-vine lettering Textura Batarda Humanistic Uncial Accordion book Album Book Codex Manuscript Heraldry Saint's Life Drawing Grisaille New Abbasid style Musical notation Russia Romania Charter Russian Genealogy Mass book Prayer book Gospel Lectionary Psalter-Hours Treatise Grammar Gloss Pontifical Private devotional text Gradual Protective scroll Scroll 10th century 11th century 12th century 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 8th century 9th century Block book Caroline minuscule Central Arab lands (Near East) Chart English secretary hand Kufic Gothic book hand Original binding Treasure binding Gospel Book Spanish Spain Italian Italy Coptic Scrapbook American United States Maryland Historical Society Friendship book Friendship Biography Judaism Talmud Collection of Sermons Notable Notable binding Liturgical Devotional Scriptural Theological Legal Historical Scientific Scientific -- Medical Literary -- Prose Literary -- Poetry Philosophical Astrological Sufi English Arabic Codex Koran Manuscript Kufic Central Arab lands (Near East) Abbasid Early Abbasid script Calligraphy Illumination Islamic Qur`an Book Walters Art Museum