exhibition islam MUSEUM COLLECTION | QURAN MANUSCRIPTS | COINS | ARTEFACTS
EXHIBITION ISLAM www.exhibitionislam.com Left: Intense 17th Century opening pages of a hand written Quran from the Indian subcontinent. Naskh Arabic script with symmetrical axis.
Front Page: Rare 8th Century Hijazi Script. Written on veluum during the 1st/2nd century in Islamic calender.
Exhibition Islam is an independent, UK registered charity that specialises in “Exhibition Islam was displayed at the Guildhall Museum, Rochester, UK. The promoting a greater awareness of Islamic history and civilisation across the exhibition and launch event conference highlighted the linkages between globe. Exhibition Islam delivers museum style exhibitions using the latest Islam and the other great world religions giving an important multi-faith and educational resources such as modern posters, historical artefacts, multi-cultural dimension to the message of the exhibition. The exhibition was interactive models and other display items to showcase themed exhibitions. an important ‘showcase’ event for the local and regional Islamic community. The organisers of Exhibition Islam are to be congratulated for The Exhibition Islam Museum Collection boasts more than 400 ancient the hard work and great enthusiasm that they manuscripts from across the world, ranging from China to Spain and invested in the organisation of the exhibition.” spanning over 1400 years - the entire period of Islamic civilisation. In addition, the Exhibition Islam collection showcases rare Islamic coinage and other artefacts Peter Boreham BA MA FRSA FZS (Curator) that have been preserved and collected over many years.. Rochester Guildhall Museum Exhibition Islam has showcased its collections in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Our exhibitions have been showcased at 100`s of churches, museums, libraries, mosques, shopping centres, corporate, cultural & financial centres.
“Exhibition Islam’s curators have worked diligently to bring into the collection, everyday copies of the Qur’an that not only enhanced the quality of the collection but also told the story of its preservation.”
Dr. Ahmad ibn Saifuddin Associate professor Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud | KSA Above Left: Pages from a 15th Century North African or An- dalusian Quran. Written in Maghribi script using brown ink or originally white paper.
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Above Right: Rare Andalusian Quran fragment on Vellum. Written in Maghribi script with illuminated devices with diacritics. Left: Detailed view of 16th Century Quran from Uzbekistan. Written in Muhaqqaq Right: script. Decorative header on the opening pages of a 17th Century Chinese Quran. Written in Sini script with dark green and gold geometric design. “Exhibition Islam was the highlight of Islam Exhibition SA 2009. Over and above the 66 cubicles Left: of the bigger exhibition, Exhibition Islam took up 574 Elegeant Muhaqqaq calligraphy of the m2 and was undoubtedly the core of Islam Expo opening chapter of SA 2009. Their display on Islam, housed priceless the Quran. manuscripts including Qur’ans, Bibles and Torahs as well as Islamic Coins, Artefacts and information on Biology, Astronomy, Egyptology, Architecture and Mathematics within the Qur’an and this proved to be very interesting and fascinating to visitors of all walks of life.
At the Opening Ceremony Minister Laluma Xingwana, National Minister of Arts and Culture, praised the Exhibition Islam Team for their magnificent attention to historical and artistic detail and found the Exhibition Islam Display to be necessary and important in bringing people of different religious and cultural backgrounds, together.
The Consul General of the Chinese Embassy was so surprised to see the Qur’an translated into Chinese and was fascinated to realise what various verses of the Qur’an meant. Upon leaving the Exhibition Islam area, visitors could purchase books and these were sold out by the second day of the exhibition, another indication of the popularity of what was on offer at the Exhibition Islam area at Islam Expo SA 2009.” Fatima Allie Communications Manager ITHEKO Event Management | South Africa Above: Gold and blue marginal medallion from Right: 18th Century a 12th Century Abbasid Quran Ottoman commentary on the Quran. Written on a scroll in Diwani and Thuluth “By implementing the latest exhibition resources and technological advances in script and decorated with foliate designs. methods of display, Exhibition Islam take a unique and revolutionary approach to developing environments that are accessible to people regardless of cultural, political or economic background.
Exhibition Islam is an exemplary organization in Britain, through their professional approach to campaigning for promoting tolerance and understanding of Islam they have managed not only to engage the British Muslim community but the wider population, offering hope for the flourishing prospect of representing Islam in the UK.” Islam Online Magazine
78 THE MAGNIFICENT QUR’AN The Exhibition Islam Museum Collection showcases an outstanding array of manuscripts of the Holy Quran and of illustrated scientific and theological manuscripts. A central place has been given to the art of calligraphy, which plays an essential role in the art of the Islamic world.
Left: Magnificent page from a 16th Century Quran from the Middle East. Written in a variety of styles using Muhaqqaq, Thuluth and Naskh scripts. Surrounded by multi-coloured foliate work,
Below: Part of a 20th Century Quran Scroll. Hand written in Thuluth script. Likely Syrian or Leba- nese. Scroll length is 5th meters.
Part of an early 20th century However, Allah also makes it clear that these earlier e nature of the previous books decorative Qur’an scroll Divine revelations are no longer valid, because they have showing the rst four words In mankind’s ancient past, writing was largely composed of Surah ad-Dhuha ( e been superseded by the nal revelation, the Qur’an. Even Morning Hours, 93). Hand a cursory study of the Qur’an reveals that a large part of of inscriptions on items such as leather, wood and stone wri en in large thuluth script it deals with the ‘People of the Book’. Allah highlights tablets. Pages bound in book form did not exist so wri en and splendidly illustrated text would have been mostly in the form of separate with strong use of colour. where they have strayed from His commandments and Each word of the surah is calls upon them throughout to accept His Final Message sheets. e scripture that was revealed by Allah to the wri en within alternating that was delivered by His Final Prophet and Messenger, Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), for instance, blue and red panels. Most Muhammad . For example Allah says: is described in the Qur’an as Suhuf or ‘sheets’; as in the likely of Syrian or Lebanese following verses: origin. e scroll measures “Say (O Muhammad ): “O people of the Scripture 5 metres in length and has a “Verily, this is in the former Scriptures – e width of 30 cm. (Jews and Christians)! Come to a word that is just Scriptures (Sheets) of Abraham and Moses.” between us and you, that we worship none but Allah (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, Surah al-A’la ( e Most High) 87: 18–19. and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah.” en, if they turn away, say: “Bear witness that “Or is he not informed with what is in the Pages we are Muslims.” (Scripture) of Moses, and of Abraham who ful lled (or conveyed) all that (Allah ordered him to do or Surah aal-Imraan ( e Family of Imraan) 3: 64. convey).” Surah an-Najm ( e Star) 53: 36–37. “O people of the Scripture! Now has come to you Our Messenger (Muhammad ) making (things) clear to e ‘sheets’ sent down to Prophet Abraham (peace be you, a er a break in (the series of) Messengers, lest upon him), however, are no longer with us and have been you say: “ ere came to us no bringer of glad tidings lost long ago. Similarly, the scripture that Allah revealed and no warner.” But now has come to you a bringer of to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was the Taurat, glad tidings and a warner. And Allah is Able to do all although the Qur’an refers to it both as the ‘book’ and the things.” ‘sheets’. For example, when referring to the Taurat as the Surah al-Maaidah ( e Table Spread) 5: 19. book, Allah Says in the Qur’an:
62 THE MAGNIFICENT QUR’AN artefacts
Below: North African calligraphy inkwell. Made from stone.
Above: Brass quill holder and ink well. 18th Century from Ottoman Turkey.
568 THE MAGNIFICENT QUR’AN
568 THE MAGNIFICENT QUR’AN Silver coin minted Coin issued by al- Amirid of Valencia. Very rare coin Greece The Exhibition Islam Islamic by the Caliph Qadir Yahya II of Fractional dinar issued during Coin Collection features Abd al -Rahman Toledo, Valencia minted during the Umayyad rule coins from across the III during Spanish during the period reign on Abd al-Malik in 8th century world including an exceed- Muslim rule in the of Islamic rule in in the 11th century. Muslim Spain. ingly rare collections 10th century. 1090 CE. minted by Muslims in Europe . Mint locations 17th century include Spain, Portugal, 17th century Silver coin Islamic coin Sicily, Cyprus, Crete, The coin minted in minted from Islamic Thessaloniki. during Island of Chios, Greece, Greece. the 16th Bosnia, Serbia, Turkey, Spain 13th century coin 1/4 dirham Umayyad coin century Romania, Azerbaijan, minted during the coin minted of Hisham Armenia, India and large Nasrid dynasty, in the 15th issued during siciliy Parts of Africa including which was last Century in 8th century Morocco, Zanzibar, Muslim dynasty in Granada. Spain. Algeria, Egypt and many Spain. other countries.
Exhibition Islam has coins 1/4 dinar minted 1/4 dinar Issued by from many of the regions by al-Muntasir minted by al-Zahir (11th in Spain including extreme- (11th century) in al-Hakim (11th century) ly rare coins from regions Sicily weighing century) in 1/4 dinar such as Mallorca, Tortosa Portugal 1/2 Quirate 13th century Islamic weighing 0.82 1.02 grams. Sicily. and Cabra. The coin minted minted by Ibn Portuguese coin grams. Wazir in 12th minted during in Cabra is so rare only 2 century Islamic reign of Musa bin are known to exist with Portugal. Muhammad. Very rare the other one being in a example and only Cyprus museum in Madrid . Our known medieval coin collection also contains a to reference Portugal rare Islamic coin minted as Algarve. in Beja in Portugal , only 3 17th century good samples of this coin coins issued in Cyprus. are known to exist. IBN WAZIR 1/2 QUIRATE MINTED IN Islamic PORTUGAL Portfolio Exhibition Islam DELIVERED Museum Collection Exhibition Islam has worked with reputable partners including OVER Buckingham Palace, Mayor of London Office, Embassy of Denmark, Embassy of Germany, Embassy of Kuwait, Saudi 1400 Embassy, Embassy of UAE, Embassy of Qatar, Home Office, British Muslim Heritage Centre, Central London Mosque, Edinburgh Mosque, the Muslim World League, the Joseph EXHIBITIONS Interfaith Foundation, United Nations World Harmony Week, Alif Aleph UK, HSBC Bank, Barclays Bank, Bristal Library and more ATTRACTED OVER 1.5MILLION VISITORS
Worked with over 1000 partners EXHIBITION ISLAM
Exhibition Islam 248 Brockley Road London, UK SE4 2SF Registered Charity: 1121147 Mobile: +44 (0) 7956 509 725 +44 (0) 7900 266 969
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