Friday, November 1, 2013

Always With You

An image of an Arabic scroll from above.If we wanted to we could assemble an amazing cabinet of curiosities. Here is a favorite example. This is the entire text of the Koran executed in a miniature Arabic hand on a parchment scroll that is only 3 inches wide and 48 inches long. It can only be read with the aid of a magnifying glass, and rolls up small enough to be worn as an amulet.

An image of the scroll from the side.The scroll, which was produced in 1101 A.H. (1689 A.D.), leaves off the titles of the 114 Suras and elides any indications of the verses to concentrate the text into as small a package as possible. Other than some gold leaf, all of the decorative elements are created by leaving gaps between words. Creating this manuscript was almost surely an act of devotion demanding tremendous patience and skill.

The scroll photographed through a magnifying glass, showing an abstract pattern created by the negative space in the text.
It is amazing.  Ask for Codex MS 689940. We have a magnifying glass you can use.

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