New discovery found on page of 1000-year-old Quran

Hidden text has been discovered beneath intricate patterns on a page of the Blue Quran. “This ninth-century manuscript is renowned for its indigo-dyed sheepskin pages, gold Kufic calligraphy, and silver embellishments,” according to the website (interestingengineering.com). The hidden text is said to be verses from Surah An-Nisa. Researchers at the Zayed National Museum (ZNM) in Abu Dhabi discovered the verses using advanced multispectral imaging. The verses were hidden for centuries, and their discovery offers new insights into the creation of Islamic manuscripts and the art of early calligraphers. “Analysis has shown that the intricate gold patterns were not simply decorative but served a functional purpose – to hide a calligrapher’s error. The error, possibly a duplicate verse, was disguised rather than corrected on a new page. Given the high cost of indigo-dyed sheepskin, starting over would have been impractical,” the publication writes. ZNM curator Nurul Iman Rusli stressed the importance of technology in revealing these hidden layers of history: “Only one copy of the Blue Quran is believed to exist, and its 100 or so known pages have fascinated scholars for decades… The advanced technology used to shed new light on this manuscript page helps provide additional perspective on the creation of this rare copy of the Quran.” The Blue Quran is known to date back to 800-900 CE. eh.. It is believed to have originally consisted of 600 pages, but today only about 100 of them are known to have survived, scattered in private collections and museums around the world. The exact origin of the manuscript is a matter of debate, with North Africa, Iraq, or Andalusia being suggested as possible locations. Of course, it should be borne in mind that the text of all the world’s Qurans is the same.