Documentation of Illuminated Qur’ānic Manuscript and its Impact on the Social System of the Subcontinent

Abstract

Illuminated Qur’ānic Manuscripts are unique religious and intellectual cultural heritage of Muslim world. It is important to record these manuscripts, as they are not in a good condition. It is necessary to preserve them and to document them to highlight the highest form of Islamic Arts and to pave way for further researches. This research paper focused on the documentation of an illuminated manuscript, a step towards making copies of these rare manuscripts in order to conserve them. To study and to comprehend Illuminated Qur’ānic Manuscript, the research methodology employed in this paper is derived from qualitative and theoretical research. This research will explain the history and evolution of Islamic Illuminated Qur’āns from the beginning and styles of illumination during different eras and documentation of a specific illuminated manuscript of Qur’ān to preserve the copy. The research focuses on its style of writing and decoration in the development of Muslim Arts and traces its origin in comparison with the other manuscripts of the same era having similar decorative motifs and style of decoration.