QUR’ANIC SECTION COMPRISING FIFTY SURAHs

QUR’ANIC SECTION COMPRISING FIFTY SURAHs NORTH AFRICA, LATE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURY. Arabic manuscript on vellum, trimmed at the margins, comprising 115 folios, copied at a rate of 20 lines per page in fine Maghribī script, the text framed by a double red border and vocalized in red ink, surah titles in blue and red accented with yellow vowel marks, Qur’anic divisions (ḥizb, half-ḥizb, and quarter-ḥizb) indicated in red, with a few marginal annotations in ink. Headers on the verso of the folios. The current state of the manuscript covers Sura al-Anʿām (VI) through the end of Sura al-Wāqiʿa (LVI). The presence of paper strips attached at the beginning and end of each section suggests that the manuscript was originally more extensive—possibly a complete Qur’an that was later fragmented, recut, and rebound, and has now become a partial volume. Notes on the front endpaper mentioning the years 1354–1357 H. (1935–1938) as well as a death certificate. A flap binding, possibly reused, made of cold-stamped fawn-colored leather; the central cover is adorned with a mandorla featuring a green leather inlay, framed by a wide band of interlacing and a double border, with spandrels featuring floral motifs. Folio dimensions: 21.5 × 16.5 cm; writing area: 17 × 11.3 cm. Condition report: Text in very good condition. Margins trimmed at the top. A few tears; the last leaf is glued to the back cover. Binding is stained and shows wormholes; the medallion on the upper cover is damaged.