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Summary: Islamic Manuscripts Around the World: Qurans, Calligraphy and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I want to share some of the handwritten scriptures I have seen at exhibitions and museums. The account keeps its focus on Islamic Manuscripts, Quran Manuscripts, Muslim Calligraphy while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I want to share some of the handwritten scriptures I have seen at exhibitions and museums. These include the Quran Collection Hall in Jiezi, Xunhua, Qinghai; the East Great Mosque (Dongdasi) in Jining, Shandong; the City Mosque (Chengli Si) in Qingzhou, Shandong; the Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisaray Palace in Crimea; the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah, UAE; the Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya, Turkey; the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Turkey; the Islamic Museum in Malacca, Malaysia; the Islamic World Museum in Malaysia; the Quran Museum in Malacca, Malaysia; and the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia.

The Quran Collection Hall in Jiezi, Xunhua, Qinghai.

I was very lucky to visit the Quran Collection Hall at the Jiezi Great Mosque. I saw the handwritten scriptures that the Salar people brought with them when they moved from the Samarkand area to Xunhua over 700 years ago.

This set of scriptures has 30 volumes kept in two rhinoceros-hide cases. Historically, they were kept by the qadi (gazi). After the qadi system was abolished in 1896, the descendants of the qadi continued to look after them. People say in 1894, Ma Qishao (Ma Anliang) from Linxia seized the scriptures. However, on his way back to Linxia from Xunhua, he ran into a fierce storm and could not cross the mountains, so he had to return them. During the Republic of China era, Ma Bufang took them away again. They were not returned to Han Wushiba, a descendant of the Jiezi qadi, until the 1950s.

In 1954, these scriptures were sent to Syria for an international exhibition, where they made a big impression. After 1958, following a suggestion from the Salar Social History Investigation Group that was doing research in Xunhua, the scriptures were sent to the Cultural Palace of Nationalities under the name of participating in a 10th-anniversary ethnic exhibition. They were kept in the basement storage of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities for the next twenty years until they finally returned to the Jiezi Great Mosque in 1982.







The man who showed us around the collection museum told us about the migration route of the Salar people.



Taken in 1933 by the American missionary Pastor Carter Holton. Pastor Carter Holton lived in the Hehuang region for many years between the 1920s and 1940s. He left behind over 5,000 photos of ethnic customs in the Gansu and Qinghai areas. His second daughter donated the entire collection to the Harvard University Library in the early 1990s, and you can now view them on the library's official website.









Pastor Holton holding it himself.



Other hand-copied scriptures kept in the collection museum.

After the Salar people settled in Jiezi Town, the descendants of their highest scholar, Sulimanishahe, hand-copied these using specially mixed ink and a stick pen made from a tamarisk branch (gelimu). They are over 600 years old.



A hand-copied manuscript from the 17th to 18th century, bound in cowhide.











Shunhe East Mosque in Jining, Shandong.

Dongda Mosque in Jining, Shandong, was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. It was renovated in 1459 (the third year of the Tianshun period), expanded during the Kangxi reign, and renovated again under Qianlong, eventually reaching its current size. As Professor Liu Zhiping said, the rear archway, Moon-Watching Tower (Wangyuelou), rear hall, and main hall of Dongda Mosque create a grand and towering atmosphere with their overlapping structures. The artistic design of all its buildings represents the spirit and ambition of the Qianlong era.



Hand-copied scriptures kept at Dongda Mosque





Chengli Mosque in Qingzhou, Shandong

The oldest mosque in Qingzhou, Shandong, is the Dongguan Zhenjiao Mosque built during the Yuan Dynasty. However, Hui Muslims living in the city found it inconvenient to visit because the city gates would close early and open late. So, in 1546 (the 25th year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty), local elders bought the Tao family's residential land in Taojia Lane and built Chengli Mosque inside the east city wall.



Hand-copied scriptures kept at Chengli Mosque





Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisaray Palace in Crimea

The Great Khan Mosque (Büyük Han Cami) is inside the Bakhchysarai Palace in Crimea. In 1532, Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital of the Crimean Khanate to Bakhchysarai, and the Great Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace complex. The Great Khan Mosque was originally made of several domes, similar to the Seljuk style that was popular in the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. During the Soviet era, the Great Khan Mosque was closed and turned into an exhibition hall for an archaeological museum. After Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, the mosque underwent restoration, but some of this work caused damage to the building.



Handwritten scriptures on display in the Maqsurah loft of the Great Khan Mosque:

Copied by Hafiz Mas'ud in Bakhchysarai in 1794.



An 18th-century scripture bag.



A scripture copied in Crimea in 1748, paired with an 18th-century scripture bag.



Copied in 1808.









Copied by Hajj Mahmoud in 1746.



Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization in the UAE.

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization was converted from a traditional indoor market in 2008. It houses over 5,000 Islamic artifacts from around the world, including calligraphy, manuscripts, carvings, ceramics, coins, and various scientific instruments.



Kufic script from Syria or Iraq around the 10th century.







Kufic script from Kairouan, Tunisia, in the 10th century.



15th-century India, written in Bihari script with Persian translations and commentaries. Bihari script was a popular style for copying scriptures in India during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its main features are elongated and thickened letter tails, vowel marks written as horizontal strokes, and most cursive strokes written at a 45-degree angle. Bihari script almost disappeared after the 16th century and only appears in a very small number of handwritten scriptures.



In 16th-century Iran, large text used the Thuluth script and small text used the Naskh script.



15th-century Egypt or Ottoman Empire.



12th to 13th-century Iran.



18th-century Syria.



17th-century Iran.



17th to 19th-century Iran or India.



17th-century India.



12th-century Iran



Rumi's tomb in Konya, Turkey

Rumi (1207-1273) was a famous 13th-century Sufi scholar and Persian poet. In Turkey, he is honored as Mevlâna. Rumi died in Konya in 1273 and was buried next to his father. His successor, Hüsamettin Çelebi, decided to build a tomb for Rumi. The architect Badr al-Din Tabrizi led the construction, and the tomb was finished in 1274.

The entire complex includes the tombs of Rumi and his followers, a mosque, a dervish lodge (tekke), and living areas for those practicing their faith. During the Ottoman era, this place served as the center for the Mevlevi Sufi order. In 1925, the Republic of Turkey closed all Sufi lodges and disbanded the orders. In 1927, the Rumi tomb became the Konya History Museum and opened to the public. It was renamed the Mevlana Museum in 1954. Today, this is a famous Sufi holy site in Turkey, and people from all over the world visit every day.



9th-century Kufic script



Written by the calligrapher Yakutu'l-Mustasimi in 1296



1314



Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts is located in a building from 1524 next to Sultanahmet Square in the old city of Istanbul. This was originally the palace of Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, the second vizier during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

The museum started in 1914. It was first an Islamic Foundation Museum (Vakıf-ı İslamiye Museum) inside the Süleymaniye complex. After the Republic of Turkey began in 1923, it was renamed the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. The exhibits changed from Ottoman Empire culture to art and culture from all periods of the Islamic world. In 1983, the museum moved to its current home in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace. It now holds over 40,000 pieces of art, including Islamic calligraphy, tiles, and carpets.



Early 8th century, Umayyad Dynasty.



10th century, Abbasid Dynasty period.



13th century, Seljuk Sultanate of Rum period, from Konya, the capital of the Sultanate of Rum at that time.



Late 14th century, Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt period.



1380, Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt period.



1333-1334, Ilkhanate period in Iran, copied by a scribe named Muhammed el-Hac Devletshah esh-Shirazi.



In 1338-9, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Yahya el-Sufi.



In 1318, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Ahmed b.al-Suhreverdi.



In 1323-4, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Huseyin bin Ali bin Camii.



In 1320-21, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Argun bin Abdullah Kamili.



Two copies written by Ali ibn-i Mehmed in 1306-7 and 1310-11 during the Ilkhanate period in Iran.





In 1286-87, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Yakut el-Musta'simi.



Shiraz, Iran, during the 17th-century Safavid dynasty.



Shiraz, Iran, in 1591 during the Safavid dynasty.



Shiraz, Iran, during the Safavid dynasty in 1549.



Shiraz, Iran, during the Safavid dynasty in 1580.





A book cover from the Safavid dynasty in Iran during the 17th century.



A scripture box from the Ottoman period, dating to the late 15th or early 16th century.



Written by the calligrapher Seyh Hamdullah during the Ottoman period in 1494.



Written by the calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari during the Ottoman period in 1443.



Written by the calligrapher Hafiz Osman during the Ottoman period between 1540 and 1550.



The Islamic Museum in Malacca, Malaysia.

The Melaka Islamic Museum is housed in the former office of the Melaka Islamic Council. The exact construction date is unknown, but it is thought to date back to the British occupation in the 1850s. Some believe the lower level was built during the Dutch occupation (1641-1824) and the upper level was added during the British colonial period. This building served as the office for the Melaka Islamic Council until 1990, when it became the Melaka Islamic Museum.



Hand-copied by a Haji from Melaka in 1881. The dark text is the original, and the light text is the Indonesian translation.



Hand-copied manuscripts in the museum collection.



Museum of Malaysia and the Islamic World.

The Museum of Malaysia and the Islamic World in Melaka is located next to the A Famosa gate. The building was originally an office for a British rubber company built in 1910. Melaka enjoyed a brief period of prosperity in the early 20th century due to the rubber industry. This left behind many large mansions belonging to Nanyang Chinese, as well as this British-style building.



Handwritten manuscripts kept in the museum.



Tools for copying manuscripts.





The Quran Museum (Muzium Al-quran) in Malacca, Malaysia.

The Malacca Quran Museum (Muzium Al-quran Melaka) is next to the Malacca State Mosque. It opened in 2008 and holds some interesting items.



From the Aceh region in northwestern Sumatra.



From Java.



Belongings left behind by a professor from Universiti Putra Malaysia.



A manuscript from the 18th-century Sultanate of Patani. This sultanate was located on the border of modern-day northern Malaysia and Thailand. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, it served as a center for Islam and printing in northern Malaysia.



A 19th-century Javanese manuscript made from a local Javanese tree leaf called deluwang.



A manuscript from the Aceh region in northwestern Sumatra dating between the 18th and 19th centuries.



A manuscript from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula dating to the early 19th century.



A modern manuscript.





Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.

The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is likely the museum with the richest collection and highest quality in the country, far surpassing the National Museum. The museum houses a large number of exquisite artifacts collected from all over the world.



Qajar dynasty of Iran, 1831.



Ottoman, 1599-1600



Ottoman, 19th century



Iran, 17th-18th century



North Africa, 18th century



Ottoman, 18th century



Dagestan, Caucasus, 19th century



China, 17th century





30-volume edition from 17th-century China







A 30-volume set from 1730 during the Qing Dynasty in China, featuring a brown embossed leather cover.











From the Mughal Empire in India, 1715.



A 15th-century miniature from India.



A 30-volume set from Gansu Province, dated March to April 1546, signed by Khaili Ibrahim Yunus Al-sini, featuring peony and cloud patterns.





From Terengganu state on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, 1871.



From Pattani Province in southern Thailand, 19th century.







From the port of Cirebon in East Java, Indonesia, 19th century.



From Java, Indonesia, 19th century.



A scripture box from the Malay Peninsula in the late 19th century.



A 19th-century scripture box from Terengganu state on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.



A special exhibition on bookbinding at the museum from May 8 to December 31, 2017.



Book cover.

A 19th-century woven book cover from the Malay Peninsula. Woven covers with grid or striped patterns were very popular on the peninsula, especially those from the three southern provinces of Thailand, known as the Patani region. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Islamic Manuscripts Around the World: Qurans, Calligraphy and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: A 19th-century leather book cover from sub-Saharan Africa. This region kept the tradition of using leather straps to wrap leather book covers, a style that dates back to the 10th century. The account keeps its focus on Islamic Manuscripts, Quran Manuscripts, Muslim Calligraphy while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



A 19th-century leather book cover from sub-Saharan Africa. This region kept the tradition of using leather straps to wrap leather book covers, a style that dates back to the 10th century.



Omdurman, Sudan, 19th century. Omdurman sits across the Nile River from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and serves as a center for the faith in the country. This book is written on loose paper and kept inside an early-style box-shaped leather cover.



Mamluk Sultanate, Egypt, 14th century. This pattern of stars was a classic carving design used by the Mamluk Sultanate starting in the 14th century.



Ilkhanate, Iran, 1304. This eight-pointed star pattern was influenced by the Mamluk Sultanate.



Mamluk Sultanate, 1400. The medallion design with geometric patterns in the center of the cover is a typical circular arrangement from the early Mamluk period.



Mughal Empire, India, 18th-century miniature. This miniature scripture with a metal casing was very easy to carry.



Iran, 1725. These book covers, inlaid with colorful gemstones, were usually made for noble guests.



In 18th-century Bukhara, Uzbekistan, the book cover features an Arabic inscription reading 'Amal-i Muhammad Sharif-i Shhhaf'.



In 19th-century Iran, the medallion on the book cover is inscribed with the name 'Ashraf Anbiya Habib Khoda'.



On this 17th-century Ottoman book cover, the central medallion and the four corners feature complex floral patterns that blend arabesque and hatayi styles.



From the 19th to 20th century on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, this book cover is made of bright red dyed leather. It features a medallion pattern in the center of a diamond-shaped inlay, with the edges and spine decorated in the same exquisite style as the cover. This is a classic 19th-century bookbinding style from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.



A 19th-century book cover from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.



In 1555, during the Safavid dynasty in Iran, this technique involved lining the inside of the book cover with gold-stamped filigree, often arranged in a honeycomb pattern.



In 19th-century Qajar Iran, the colorful floral patterns on book covers likely emerged in the mid-17th century, inspired by herbal packaging imported from Europe.



In the 18th-century Mughal Empire of India, the overall design of book covers was influenced by Iran, but they used local Indian floral patterns.



Doublure

A doublure is the inner surface of a book cover, made from materials like leather, paper, or fabric. Lacquer painting, leather stamping, and filigree are the three main types of doublure decoration. Filigree is often used in Southeast Asia, while Turkey is most famous for its marbling technique called ebru.

In 16th-century Ottoman Turkey, they also used filigree on book doublures, cutting gold paper into intricate patterns against colorful backgrounds.



During the 19th-century Qajar dynasty in Iran, the calligraphy on doublures was complex and beautiful, representing the peak of Iranian doublure calligraphy art.



In the 19th-century Qajar dynasty of Iran, doublures often featured paintings of six-flowered narcissus on a single stem against a red background. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Claude L. Pickens Jr. Collection: Republican-Era Hui Muslim Documents is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Claude L. Pickens Jr. was an American missionary who came to China in 1926 and worked mainly in Hankou. The account keeps its focus on Hui Muslims, Islamic Manuscripts, Harvard Yenching while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Claude L. Pickens Jr. was an American missionary who came to China in 1926 and worked mainly in Hankou. He traveled to the Muslim-populated areas of Northwest China twice, in 1933 and 1936, taking many photos and leaving behind valuable records.

Pickens collected many precious documents from Hui Muslims during the Republic of China era, including scripture calligraphy, wall charts, religious calendars, and calligraphy works. He donated them all to the Harvard-Yenching Library in 1984, where they were digitized and displayed on the library's official website.

Most of these documents came from the Muslim Book and Newspaper Press (Qingzhen Shubao She) on Niujie Street in Beiping. The Muslim Book and Newspaper Press was founded in the early years of the Republic of China by Imam Ma Kuilin of Niujie. In the 1920s and 1930s, it printed various scripture textbooks and scholarly works in a shop north of Guang'anmen Street, which were sold all over the country. After Imam Ma Kuilin passed away in 1940, his fourth son, Ma Zhongdao, continued to run the business until it was merged into the Xuanwu Xinhua Bookstore in 1956. After 1966, all the books and records from the Muslim Book and Newspaper Press that had been handed over to the Xuanwu Xinhua Bookstore went missing, and the collection held by Ma Zhongdao himself was forced to be burned by his own hands. Because of this, the collection of books and records from the Muslim Book and Newspaper Press held by Pickens has become the most precious material available.

Official website: library.harvard.edu/collections/rev-claude-l-pickens-jr-collection-muslims-china

The book "Selected Fine Prints of Hui Muslim Materials from the Republic of China Era" provides a detailed introduction to these documents, but unfortunately, due to layout and paper limitations, the images in the book are not printed clearly enough.



A wall scroll (zhongtang) of calligraphy finely produced by the Beiping Niujie Muslim Book and Newspaper Press.



Inna-hu alimun bi-zat al-sudur, finely produced by the Beiping Niujie Muslim Book and Newspaper Press.



A quote from Caliph Umar: Kafa bi-al-mawt wai zan, wa kafa bi-al-dahr tafarruqan.

Death is enough as a warning, and the world is enough as a separation (from Allah).



A wall scroll, printed by the Beiping Niujie Muslim Book and Newspaper Press. According to teacher Wang Qifei, this is the work of Imam Li Chaozhen or Li Shouzhen from Cangzhou.





A wall scroll featuring scripture calligraphy. Guide us to the straight path (1:6), with a seal that reads "Xuanjing." According to teacher Mu Ning, the author is likely Fa Jingxuan from Jinan. Fa Jingxuan was a famous educator and one of the founders of the Chengda Teachers' School.





The scripture couplets on both sides of the wall scroll also come from the Fatiha.







A color-printed set of the three-piece incense set (luping sanshi) from the Beijing Niujie Muslim Book and Newspaper Press. From right to left are the teapot, incense box, incense burner, chopstick vase, and flower vase.







Ali's sword, the first print says published by Beijing Niujie Muslim Book and Newspaper Press, and the second print was changed to "Beiping."





A color-printed Basmala (tasimi), published by the Niujie Halal Bookstore in Beiping.



The Sea of Fury Ship (nuhai chuan), published by the Niujie Halal Bookstore in Beijing.





The Praise of the Prophet on the Sea (haishui zansheng), printed by the Niujie Halal Bookstore in Beiping, features 34 lines of dua written within the waves.



Scripture characters on red paper, printed by the Niujie Halal Bookstore in Beiping.

Basmala (tasimi).











All praise is due to Allah (written eight times).

















Printed by the Niujie Halal Bookstore in Beiping, the Prophet's Last Words (guisheng cishi yiyan) exist in 1925 and 1932 editions and depict the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad.





Halal Miaoxiangge Star and Moon brand orchid perfume, made by Li Peilin, with the main factory located at No. 17 Santuanqiao Dongting Alley, outside Chongwenmen, Beiping.





A halal marriage certificate, dated November 25, 1922, published by the Nanjing Halal Board and the Daoyi Society, with the printing plate kept at the Tangzi Street Mosque in Nanjing.











Essentials of the Right Path (zhengdao genyuan jiaotiao zhiyao), a public notice from the mosque outside the south gate of Liuhe, Nanjing, compiled by Ma Youheng Mingsanshi of Sichuan. It describes various actions that destroy, harm, or help one's faith (imani).



A Simple Explanation of the Essentials of Halal Faith, published in the eighth month of the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (1905) by Ma Dengshou and other students of the Hujia Mosque. Hujia Mosque is located in Longhu Village, Xindu District, Chengdu, Sichuan, and was founded in 1738. The Hu family's ancestral home was in Weinan, Shaanxi, and they moved to Sichuan between the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.



Book catalog of the Beiping Chengda Normal School Publishing Department, May 25, 1934.





Price list for various Islamic scriptures sold by the Zhenxue Society in the provincial capital of Yunnan. Sold on behalf of the society by Ma Jun Renqing, manager of the Lihechang Leather Store at No. 133 Shuncheng Shangjie, outside the Great South Gate of the provincial capital of Yunnan.



Catalog of books from the Beijing Niujie Halal Bookstore.



The 99 Names of Allah and the eight gates of Paradise, source unknown.



Chart of the Fifty Generations of Light (wushi dai chuanguang tu), printed by the Niujie Halal Bookstore in Beijing. It includes the lineage of fifty generations from the Prophet Adam to the Prophet Muhammad. The prophets in the central large circle are Adam (Adan), Noah (Nuha), Abraham (Yibulaximai), Moses (Musa), David (Dawudai), Jesus (Ersa), and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Muhammaidai).





Printed by the Zungutang Lithographic Press in Tianjin.



Attention, Muslims.



The Islamic ritual washing (wudu) wall chart and prayer wall chart were compiled by Zhang Hongtao from Dingxing, performed by Ma Zhongdao from Beiping, and published by the Beiping Niujie Mosque Newspaper and Book Agency.







A promotional flyer for the True Mirror Garden (Zhenjing Huayuan) from the Beiping Niujie Mosque Newspaper and Book Agency.



4. Islamic Calendar.

In 1946, the Religious Affairs Committee of the Yunnan Provincial Branch of the China Islamic Association compiled and printed the Islamic monthly start dates, festivals, fasting, and prayer schedule.



Published by the Yuehua Newspaper Agency in 1946.





Printed by the Beiping Niujie Mosque Newspaper and Book Agency in 1936.



Printed by the Beiping Niujie Mosque Newspaper and Book Agency in 1946.



Printed by the Beiping Niujie Mosque Newspaper and Book Agency in 1948.



Printed on behalf of the Jiyixuan studio on Hualou Street in Hankou in 1942. view all