Sharjah: This Ramadan, visitors at the ongoing ‘Tales from the East’ exhibition in Sharjah will have a chance to see a rare Ottoman copy of the Holy Quran, dating back to 1827 AD, written by renowned female calligrapher, Sherifa Zulaikha Khatami Al Saadi, daughter of Hajj Abdi Zadeh Basari Yari.
A copy of the Holy Quran by Omar bin Ismail, one of the most renowned calligraphers in Islamic art history, is also on display at the exhibition that runs until May 3 at the Sharjah Book Authority headquarters. Written in the Naskh script in 1685, the manuscript begins with two decorated panels, followed by Surat Al An’am.
Golden age of Arabic calligraphy
The ‘Tales from the East’ exhibition also enables visitors to explore what historians describe as the Timurid period through the work of calligrapher Joanmurd bin Akhi Muhammad bin Bayazid Al Surouri, dating back to 15th century AD. The manuscript, written in the Thuluth script, was done during the golden age of Arabic calligraphy.
Organisers said ‘Tales from the East’ “offers a golden opportunity to embark on a journey of calligraphic interpretation of the Holy Quran — starting from Samarkand and expanding throughout the cities of the Ottoman empire, before reaching Egypt and Syria during the Mamluk Dynasty.”
Among the exhibits is a chapter from a Quran manuscript dating back to the Mamluk period, written in the Thuluth script on dark paper and black ink. There is also an extensive collection of centuries-old written material and rare artefacts plus copies of the Holy Quran displayed in a pavilion dedicated exclusively to personal collections of Dr Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad Al Owais, UAE Minister of Health and Prevention.
