A Turkish Qur'an, c.1500-10, in naskh, gorgeously illumined, by Shaikh Hamdullah
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"Ottoman Turkey, circa 1500 - 1510 AD. Qur'an. Ink, gouache and gold on paper. Binding in embossed and gilt leather. 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. Prince Saduddin Agha Khan collection. Welch, Anthony (1972 - 1978), vol. II, 5, p. 35; Lings and Safadi (1976), 129, p. 79; Welch, Anthony (1979)29, p.92; Falk (1985), 105, p. 133.
The manuscript consists of 278 folios, with 13 lines to the page, the text being copied in Naskh. No date or patron are mentioned, but the copy is signed by Shaikh Hamdullah, the legendary Ottoman Calligrapher (1440 - 1519). The Opening folios of text are shown here: Surah II, al-Baqarah, The Cow, on the left.
Shaikh Hamdullah was a native of Amasya, where his father, a Bukhara Turk, had settled. He became tutor to Sultan Bayazid while the latter was a prince and governor of Amasya. When Bayazid became Sultan in 1481 AD, Shaikh Hamdullah went with him to Istanbul and lived there until his death. He produced more than 40 complete copies of the Holy Qur'an, as well as a thousand copies of both, Surah VI, al-An'am, Cattle, and Surah XVIII, al-Kahf, The Cave. This was in addition to many the manuscripts, documents and album compositions.
His greatest contribution was the standardization of the Naskh style which
became the most popular script for copying out the Holy Qur'an. Shaikh Hamdullah
was one the finest Calligraphers ever known in the history of Arabic Calligraphy."