Page from a Qur'an manuscript

This early Qur’an page is written on prepared animal skin, the first material that was used for the copying of the Qur’an. The scribe who created it was a particularly skilled individual, using the properties of kufic script to create a pleasing appearance by stretching out certain letters and shortening others. The effect is a striking page that conveys some of the rhythmic power of Qur’anic recitation. The ink on the hair side of the animal skin support - the recto - is original. Even after the scraping and cleaning involved in the preparation of such a support, the skin is left with tiny indentations where the hair follicles were. The iron gall ink that was used to inscribe this Qur'an sank into the holes and as a result it has been well preserved. The flesh side of the surface (which is the verso) is smooth, however, so the ink rubs off more easily. The letters on this side of the page were at some point re-inked, using a carbon-based ink, in order to render them legible.