Cleveland Museum of Art

Leaf from a Qur'an (verso)

Date: 1300s
Medium: ink, gold, color on pink paper
Culture: Egypt, Cairo, Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517)
Department: Islamic Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

It is through the Arabic language that the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the 600s. As a result, calligraphy is celebrated as the highest form in Islamic art. This page shows 13 lines from the Qur’an in muhaqqa script, one of the six main script types of Arabic calligraphy. The Qur’an’s importance explains the significance of calligraphy; however, the latter was not restricted to just religious texts. Many objects in the Islamic art gallery bear calligraphic inscriptions and come from secular contexts, displaying the versatility and creativity of this art form.

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