Iraqi calligrapher Ali Zaman has completed a monumental handwritten manuscript of the Holy Qur’an, the result of six years of meticulous craftsmanship and devotion, reports AP.
The work comprises 302 double-sided scrolls, each measuring approx. 4 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width. The custom-made sheets, resembling thick parchment, were specially prepared using traditional materials such as eggs, corn starch, and alum.
Reflecting on the achievement, the 54-year-old artist expressed gratitude and pride. “Whenever I think about this Qur’an, I feel immense joy that Almighty God granted me the life and ability to complete it,” Zaman said at the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Istanbul, where the manuscript is currently preserved.
Islamic calligraphy, among the most esteemed artistic traditions in the Muslim world, played a central role in preserving and embellishing the Qur’an and later adorned mosques, palaces, and manuscripts. The art flourished under state patronage in Türkiye during the Ottoman era. Today, Istanbul remains a leading centre of the art form, known in Turkish as “hat.”
Art expert UmitCoskunsu explains that due to traditional Islamic discouragement of figurative depiction, calligraphy developed as a primary form of artistic expression. He describes “hat” not merely as writing, but as an act of worship. “The art of hat is regarded as a way of drawing closer to God,” Coskunsu said.
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