古蘭經抄本
Qur’an Manuscript
1924年，土耳其，紙、不透明水彩、紙上貼金箔、皮革裝訂
1924, Turkey, Paper, Opaque watercolor, Gold on paper, Leather binding
這是一本抄寫於奧斯曼帝國晚期至土耳其共和國建立之初的古蘭經抄本。在抄寫和裝訂古蘭經的傳統中，古蘭經抄本的第一章和第二章前五節所在的頁面都會施以美麗的鍍金和彩繪裝飾，這一本也不例外，它以金箔和彩色的花草紋為裝飾。除了內頁之外，封面和封底內側頁都裝飾了土耳其一帶典型的水波紋裝飾（paper marbling）。在內頁的書法和頁邊的裝飾中，我們可以看到文字的形式和花草圖樣的畫法、色調都明顯地呈現出奥斯曼帝國後期的抄本製作的特點。
伊斯蘭教是一個一神論宗教，信仰獨一無二的真主（上帝/神），以啟示的經典（古蘭經）作為宗教的核心。
根據伊斯蘭的教義，古蘭經是真主以阿拉伯語，在二十三年時間裡陸續傳授給先知穆罕默德 ﷺ 的。這些神啟的內容就是被穆斯林奉為圭臬的古蘭經。因此在伊斯蘭藝術中，抄寫古蘭經被視為是最尊貴的藝術形式。
This is a Qur’an manuscript copied and made from the late Ottoman period to the early years of Turkish republic. In the Islamic book making tradition, the pages of the first chapter and the first five verses of the second chapter of the Qur’an are decorated with beautiful gilding and illustrations, and this one is no exception. Besides, the inside pages of the front and back covers are decorated with paper marbling, which is typical Ottoman book making methods in the late Ottoman period. The inner pages of this manuscript, the texts and the decorations are also identical to the book illustration tradition of the time.
Islam is a monotheistic religion that believes in the one and only God (Allah). The revealed scripture (the Qur’an) is the core of Islam.
According to Islamic doctrine, the Qur'an is the world of God, and it was taught to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Arabic language over a period of twenty-three years. The contents of these revelations are the Qur'an, which is considered by Muslims to be sacred. Therefore, in Islamic art tradition, copying the Quran is considered to be the most honored and sacred art form.
古蘭經的地位
The Honorable Qur’an
穆斯林認為，《古蘭經》包含了神用阿拉伯語所說的字句。它們的書面形式被認為是神的意圖的最純粹表達。全世界的穆斯林都有一種語言上的聯繫，那就是以原文（阿拉伯文）禮拜和誦讀古蘭經。
由於《古蘭經》在穆斯林社會中的崇高地位，歷史上對《古蘭經》抄本的製作、貼金、裝飾和展示給予了特別關注。由於與真主的文字有關，書法被穆斯林認為是最高的藝術形式。因為伊斯蘭教嚴格禁止崇拜雕塑、偶像、畫像，因此在伊斯蘭的宗教文本中，不會出現人物圖像，而是以花草紋樣、書法和幾何圖形來作為裝飾主題。從我們展示的這件藏品，以及展版上的照片，都可以一目瞭然地看到這種伊斯蘭文本的裝飾特色。裝飾豪華的《古蘭經》抄本通常被放置在專門設計的書架（rahla）上，並在世界各地的清真寺和宗教學校（madrasas）中小心陳列在顯要的位置。
Muslims believe that the Qur'an contains the words of God in Arabic. Their written form is considered to be the purest expression of God's intent. Muslims around the world share a common connection, which is performing prayers and reciting the Qur'an in its original language (Arabic).
Because of the special respected status of the Qur'an in Muslim society, historically, special attention has been given to the production, gilding, decoration and display of Qur'anic codices. Because of its association with the written word of God, calligraphy is considered by Muslims to be the highest art form. Because Islam strictly forbids the worship of sculptures, idols, and paintings, no human figures appear in Islamic religious texts, but rather floral motifs, calligraphy, and geometric patterns are used as decorative motifs. This decorative feature of Islamic texts can be clearly seen in this room and the pictures. The lavishly decorated manuscripts of the Qur'an are usually placed on specially designed book stands (rahla) and are displayed with care and respect in mosques and madrasas around the globe.
一座位於布哈拉（Bukhara）的伊斯蘭宗教學校（madrasa）
如何製作一本古蘭經抄本？
How to Make a Qur’an Manuscript
製作抄本的第一步是造紙。在伊斯蘭世界，紙張是由紡織物纖維製成的。例如，碎亞麻布被切成條狀，在石灰水中軟化，然後被搗成漿狀，在大桶中浸泡，隨後在模具中晾乾成為紙。紙張上通常會添加一些裝飾性的東西：有些是著色的，有些是灑金的，還有一些是大理石紋的。大理石花紋紙的製作方法是在水槽表面滴上著色劑，然後用梳子梳理這些水滴以形成圖案；然後在水槽表面鋪上一張紙以吸收顏色。乾燥後，為了能夠書寫，紙面上要塗上澱粉溶液，使其表面光滑無孔。
然後，書法家會準備墨水（由碳和五倍子[gallnuts]熬製而成）並製作他的筆，然後抄寫文本。在文本完成後，書頁就交給了畫家。大多數手抄本都是一些藝術家的作品，一張紙也可能是團隊協作的成果。
在傳統上，伊斯蘭世界的裝飾顏料是天然的。礦物來源有金、銀、青金石、磨碎的硃砂（用於製造硃砂）、石膏（用於製造黃色）和孔雀石（用於製造綠色）。這些材料都很昂貴。靛藍是深藍色的常見來源，天青石被用來製作較淺的藍色。
繪畫完成後，鍍金師會文本中添加一些裝飾，例如章節標題、彩色框架和標尺。他們還會創作扉頁和尾頁。最後，每張紙都要用堅硬的石頭或玻璃進行打磨。
然後，工匠會縫製和裝訂書頁，完成封皮和封底的製作。
The first step in creating a book was to make the paper. In the Islamic world, paper was made from rags of linen and hemp, not tree pulp. The rags were cut into strips and softened in limewater, then pounded into a pulp and soaked in a vat. To form a sheet of paper, a rectangular mold was placed into the vat and then left to dry. The water seeped out and the page hardened in the mold. Decorative touches were often added to the paper: some were tinted, some were sprinkled with gold, and others were marbled. Marbled papers were created by dispensing drops of colorant onto the surface of a water bath and running combs through the drops to create a pattern; a sheet of paper was then laid on the surface of the bath to absorb the colors. After drying, the paper was prepared to receive ink and paint with the application of a starchy solution that rendered the surface smooth and nonporous.
A scribe then prepared his ink (made of carbon boiled with gallnuts), made his pens, and pressed guidelines into the paper. He then copied the text, leaving spaces for illustrations where the director of the workshop had indicated. Most of manuscripts are results of team works.
Traditionally, to create his pigments, the artist turned to nature. Mineral sources were gold, silver, lapis lazuli, ground cinnabar (for vermilion), orpiment (for yellow), and malachite (for green). These materials were expensive. Indigo was a common source of dark blue and azurite was used for a lighter blue.
After the paintings were completed, illuminators and gilders added flourishes to the text, such as chapter headings, colored frames, and rulings. They also created frontispieces and end pages. Finally, each sheet was burnished with a hard stone or glass.
At this stage, the leaves of the book were ready to be sewn and bound and finish the book with covers.
在本書的最後一頁留有書法家的讚詞和落款。從文中可知，這本古蘭經的抄寫工作完成於伊斯蘭曆1292年（西元1924年），書法家的頭銜是賽義德·哈吉（Sayyid al-Haj），名字叫作哈菲茲·穆罕默德·拉希姆（Hafiz Muhammad Rasim），他的老師是艾哈邁德·沙烏奇（Ahmad Shawwki）。
On the last page of the book there is a tribute and name information from the calligrapher. It is known from the text that the scribing work of this Qur'an was completed in the year 1292 AH (1924 CE) and that the calligrapher's title was Sayyid al-Haj, whose name was Hafiz Muhammad Rasim, and his teacher was Ahmad Shawwki.
歷史上的著名征服者帖木兒（Timur）的孫子易卜拉欣·蘇丹（Ibrahim Sultan）於1427年抄寫的古蘭經
