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Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts
Qur'an manuscripts produced by Cairo workshops during the Mamluk period (1250–1517), renowned for fine calligraphy, gilded frontispieces, and geometr…
Timeline
- 1300–1400Cairo · EgyptIn the 14th century, Cairo court scriptoria established the typical Mamluk Qur'an binding: landscape format, geometric frontispiece pages, and Muhaqqaq calligraphy with wide line spacing, becoming the model for later luxury manuscripts.
- 1441–1450Cairo · EgyptCairo institutions such as the mosque-madrasa of al-Mu'ayyad Shaykh sponsored large Qur'an manuscripts in the 1440s; gilded decoration and frontispiece SAR LAWH designs reached a refined peak, with many surviving in European and American museums.
- 1451–1517Cairo · EgyptSultans such as Qaitbay and Qansuh al-Ghawri continued to commission large manuscripts; after the Ottoman conquest of 1517, Cairo scriptorium craftsmen and styles were absorbed by the Istanbul court, and the Mamluk Qur'an paradigm influenced later Islamic manuscripts.
Sources
- The Mamluk Book: Knowledge and Beauty in the Age of the Sultans — Jonathan M. Bloom (2018)
- Islamic Calligraphy — Sheila S. Blair (2006)