“In the early 20^th century, the Ottoman Empire was in political turmoil.  Officials moved valuable artworks located throughout the empire—including thousands of sumptuous Qur’an manuscripts and loose pages—to Istanbul to insure their safety.  Penned by celebrated calligraphers and embellished by skilled illuminators and bookbinders, these manuscripts are now housed in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (Turk ve islam Eserleri Muzesi, or TIEM) in Istanbul, established in 1914.

            This story unfolds in The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, the companion publication to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery’s groundbreaking exhibition, the first major presentations of Qur’ans in the United States.  The book’s authors describe the formation of this one-of-a-kind collection and the history of TIEM, whose centuries-old records on Patrons, calligraphers, illuminators, and provenance allow us to create “biographies” detailing the production of specific Qur’ans.

            Drawing on recent scholarship, the book introduces the Qur’an’s content and traces its transformation from a fleeting, orally transmitted Message into a fixed, written text, which has played a central role in the artistic culture of the Islamic world.  It examines its organization into a book from the late 8^th century in Damascus to 16^th century Turkey.  Particular attention is given to the formal development of Qur’anic manuscripts and volumes over a period of one thousand years and the evolution of calligraphy and illumination, which represent two of the most distinct features of the arts of the book in the region.  Much like a reciter who relayed the oral beauty of the Qur’an with his carefully modulated tone and cadence, the calligrapher and illuminator emphasized the endless graphic potential of the transcribed Word of God.

            Long after their completion in cities such as Herat, Tabriz, Cairo, Baghdad, Mosul, Damascus, or Istanbul, many of the finest volumes were acquired and cherished as prized possessions by the Ottoman sultans, queens, princesses, viziers, and pashas.  In turn members of the Ottoman elite offered them as gifts to cement political and military relationships or as rewards for loyalty and service.  Frequently, the Qur’ans were donated to public and religious institutions across the Ottoman empire to express personal piety and secure power and prestige.

            The Art of the Qur’an also includes in-depth descriptions of almost seventy works from TIEM and the Smithsonian’s Freer/Sackler, with full-page color images of the earliest known Qur’an folios and manuscripts from the Umayyad and Abbasid Near East (7^th—10^th century), Seljuq Iran and Anatolia (12^th—15^th century) as well as a number of Mosque furnishings, such as Qur’an boxes and stands. Most of the works have rarely, if ever, been published.”

Subjects: Islamic illumination of books and manuscripts—Turkey—Istanbl—Exhibitions. | Qur’an—Illustrations—Exhibitions. | Qur’an—Manuscripts—Exhibitions. | Turk ve Islam Eserleri Muzesi—Exhibitions.

With contributions by François Derroche, Edhem Eldem, Jane McAuliffe, Sana Mirza, Zeren Tanindi. In the early twentieth century, the Ottoman Empire was in political turmoil. Officials moved valuable artworks--including thousands of sumptuous Qur'an (Koran) manuscripts and loose pages dating from the 7th to 17th century--to Istanbul to ensure their safety. Penned by celebrated calligraphers and embellished by skilled illuminators and bookbinders, these manuscripts are now housed in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (Türk ve slam Eserleri Müzesi or TIEM) in Istanbul, established in 1914. This story unfolds in "The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts," the companion publication to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's groundbreaking exhibition, the first major presentation of Qur'ans in the United States. The book's authors describe the formation of this one-of-a-kind collection and the history of TIEM, whose centuries-old records on patrons, calligraphers, illuminators, and provenance allow us to create "biographies" detailing the production of the Qur'ans in the exhibition. Essays address the Qur'an as a written text--from content and organization to the elaborate calligraphy and illuminated designs that transformed the volumes into beautiful artworks. "The Art of the Qur'an "also includes in-depth descriptions of some seventy works from TIEM and the Smithsonian's Sackler and Freer Galleries. It features full-page, color images of the earliest known Qur'an folios and manuscripts from the Umayyad and Abbasid Near East (7th-10th century), Seljuk Iran and Anatolia (12th century), the Mongol Il-Khanid and Timurid empires and Mamluk Cairo (14th and 15th centuries), Safavid and Ottoman empires (16th and 17th centuries) as well as a number of mosque furnishings, such as Qur'an boxes and stands. Most of these works have rarely, if ever, been published.