Rare 1,000-year-old Quran manuscript unveiled in Saudi Arabia

The King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has unveiled a rare 1,000-year-old manuscript of the Quran. The manuscript is called “Gharib al-Quran” and was written by the renowned scholar Abu Ubaydah Ma’mar ibn al-Musanna.

The rare manuscript dates back to the 4th century AH and consists of 23 folios or leaves measuring 17 by 22 centimeters. Although the manuscript is written in a clear Andalusian script, the names of the surahs are written in Kufic script.

The library in Riyadh has a very diverse collection of Qurans. It includes Abu Ishaq al-Jazzaj’s ‘I’rab al-Quran wa Ma’anihi’, Ibn Qutaybah al-Dinawari’s ‘Ta’wil Mushkil al-Quran’, Imam Tabari’s ‘Tafsir al-Tabari’ and Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Nakkash’s ‘Fi Ma’ani al-Quran wa Tafsirih’.

The library’s heritage archive contains more than 185 rare Quranic manuscripts. In addition, hundreds of other documents are preserved, including Tafsir, Qirat and Tajweed, Quranic sciences and Mushaf manuscripts. Notable manuscripts include ‘Lubab al-Ta’wil fi Ma’ani al-Tanzil’, ‘Al-Taysir fi al-Tafsir’, ‘Tafsir al-Jalalain’ and ‘Al-Zawahir al-Hisan fi Tafsir al-Quran’.

Source: Saudi Gazette