Fragment of a Qur'an, sura 2:191-233

Most Qur'ans from the late ninth and early tenth centuries are written with a reed pen in dark brown or black ink on a horizontally oriented parchment. The script generally is referred to as kufic, a term associated with the town of Kufa in southern Iraq, one of the main centers for the development of the Arabic script. Notable for its short vertical and elongated horizontal strokes, the scripts stark elegance often is relieved by red diacritical marks; a small floral medallion in the margin indicates a verse ending.

The folio is from the second sura (chapter) of the Qur'an, known as al-Baqara (the Cow). The verses prescribe duties, such as fasting and feeding the poor, for Muslims who cannot perform or complete the hajj (pilgrimage), one of the five pillars of Islam.

Credit: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment