Surah 13:18

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 1)
This codex is one of the earliest surviving Quranic manuscripts, with combined radiocarbon dating of its parchment placing its production between 605 and 651 AD. The seven folios in Berlin were once part of a larger codex that is now split, with 33 additional folios currently held in the Egyptian National Library. The Berlin leaves were acquired in 1939 from the estate of Bernhard Moritz, the former director of the Khedivial Library.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 2)
This codex is one of the earliest surviving Quranic manuscripts, with combined radiocarbon dating of its parchment placing its production between 605 and 651 AD. The seven folios in Berlin were once part of a larger codex that is now split, with 33 additional folios currently held in the Egyptian National Library. The Berlin leaves were acquired in 1939 from the estate of Bernhard Moritz, the former director of the Khedivial Library.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 3)
This codex is one of the earliest surviving Quranic manuscripts, with combined radiocarbon dating of its parchment placing its production between 605 and 651 AD. The seven folios in Berlin were once part of a larger codex that is now split, with 33 additional folios currently held in the Egyptian National Library. The Berlin leaves were acquired in 1939 from the estate of Bernhard Moritz, the former director of the Khedivial Library.

London, The British Library, Or. 2165 (Scan 1)
Considered by Gotthelf Bergsträßer to be the most important representative of the ḥiǧāzī script style due to its extensive size. It features a bold hand with tall, right-leaning hastae that sets it apart from more conventional early Kufic Qurans. Two folios from this same codex are currently preserved at the Dār al-Āṯār al-Islāmiyya in Kuwait.

London, The British Library, Or. 2165 (Scan 2)
Considered by Gotthelf Bergsträßer to be the most important representative of the ḥiǧāzī script style due to its extensive size. It features a bold hand with tall, right-leaning hastae that sets it apart from more conventional early Kufic Qurans. Two folios from this same codex are currently preserved at the Dār al-Āṯār al-Islāmiyya in Kuwait.

Muṣḥaf of Najaf Ashraf (Codex 1 of Imām ʿAlī Library)
This codex contains a colophon attributing it to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib and dating it to 40 AH (660 AD), though scholars believe this colophon was added later. It also features a waqf (endowment) deed written on the first page in 1775 AD.

Meknes, Private library of Sherif ʿAbdarraḥmān b. Zīdān, no call number
This nearly complete early Kufic Quran was photographed by Otto Pretzl during a research trip to Morocco in 1934. While the main body belonged to the private library of Sherif ʿAbdarraḥmān b. Zīdān, fragments of this codex have since been dispersed to the Royal Library in Rabat, the Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait, and sold through auction houses like Christie's.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 1)
Carbon dating of fragments from Arabe 324 (c) places its origin between 660-780 AD. The manuscript is part of a composite codex, where Arabe 324 (c) and Gotha Ms. orient. A 462 are original leaves, while other sections such as Arabe 324 (a) and (d) were added centuries later to replace damaged or missing pages.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 2)
Carbon dating of fragments from Arabe 324 (c) places its origin between 660-780 AD. The manuscript is part of a composite codex, where Arabe 324 (c) and Gotha Ms. orient. A 462 are original leaves, while other sections such as Arabe 324 (a) and (d) were added centuries later to replace damaged or missing pages.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 3)
Carbon dating of fragments from Arabe 324 (c) places its origin between 660-780 AD. The manuscript is part of a composite codex, where Arabe 324 (c) and Gotha Ms. orient. A 462 are original leaves, while other sections such as Arabe 324 (a) and (d) were added centuries later to replace damaged or missing pages.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 4)
Carbon dating of fragments from Arabe 324 (c) places its origin between 660-780 AD. The manuscript is part of a composite codex, where Arabe 324 (c) and Gotha Ms. orient. A 462 are original leaves, while other sections such as Arabe 324 (a) and (d) were added centuries later to replace damaged or missing pages.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 5)
Carbon dating of fragments from Arabe 324 (c) places its origin between 660-780 AD. The manuscript is part of a composite codex, where Arabe 324 (c) and Gotha Ms. orient. A 462 are original leaves, while other sections such as Arabe 324 (a) and (d) were added centuries later to replace damaged or missing pages.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 332 (Scan 1)
This 8th-century codex features scarce use of diacritical marks and no vocalization, reflecting its antiquity. Fragments of the original manuscript are now widely dispersed, with portions held not only in Paris but also in the Vatican Library (Vat.ar.1784), the Khalili Collections (KFQ 49), and the University of Pennsylvania Museum (E 16264 D).

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 332 (Scan 2)
This 8th-century codex features scarce use of diacritical marks and no vocalization, reflecting its antiquity. Fragments of the original manuscript are now widely dispersed, with portions held not only in Paris but also in the Vatican Library (Vat.ar.1784), the Khalili Collections (KFQ 49), and the University of Pennsylvania Museum (E 16264 D).

Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50385
This codex is known primarily through photographs in the Gotthelf Bergsträßer archive, taken in the early 1930s. Although the original manuscript is no longer identifiable in the current museum catalogue, these rare photographs survived World War II and provide a crucial record of this early text.

Saray Medina 1a (Karatay 3)
This almost complete codex is notable for being written by at least six different scribes in Kufic script. Originally documented in Gotthelf Bergsträßer's archives as 'Medina 1a', its folios were later repaired with paper edges, and a few missing pages were completed in Naskh script.

Moritz 1905, Tables 39-40
This codex fragment was documented in Bernhard Moritz's 1905 'Arabic Palaeography' album and was reportedly discovered in the ancient Egyptian city of Bahnasa (Oxyrynchos). Scholars suggest it may originally belong to the same large codex as other early Quranic fragments currently held in the Vatican, Paris, and the Khalili Collections.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 334 (c) (Scan 1)
This manuscript is notable for its early use of colored ornamentation. The surahs are separated by decorative bands composed of pearls, lozenges, and elongated hexagons painted in yellow, green, and red, often accompanied by a palmette projecting into the outer margin. Furthermore, verses are marked by distinct groups of oblique strokes.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 334 (c) (Scan 2)
This manuscript is notable for its early use of colored ornamentation. The surahs are separated by decorative bands composed of pearls, lozenges, and elongated hexagons painted in yellow, green, and red, often accompanied by a palmette projecting into the outer margin. Furthermore, verses are marked by distinct groups of oblique strokes.

Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden, Or. 6814
Carbon dating of this manuscript's parchment by the Coranica project places its origin between the late 7th and mid-8th century AD, making it an important early witness to the Qur'anic text. It was purchased by Leiden University in 1938 from the antiquarian Erik von Scherling.

Rampur Raza Library No. 1
This manuscript is a highly prized copy traditionally ascribed to the penmanship of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph. It features modern gold and colored borders on the paper margins.

Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum, "Saray 50386" (Karatay 42)
This near-complete Kufic Quran is bound in brown leather over wood with arabesque interlacing and iron rings. It bears the foundation seal of Sultan Osman III, and its first three leaves as well as sura headings are illuminated.

Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50395 (Scan 1)
This nearly complete codex is an exceptional document, as complete codices in Kūfī D script style are extremely rare. The manuscript features illuminated pages for the first three and last six folios, as well as at surah beginnings.

Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50395 (Scan 2)
This nearly complete codex is an exceptional document, as complete codices in Kūfī D script style are extremely rare. The manuscript features illuminated pages for the first three and last six folios, as well as at surah beginnings.

Arabe 399
This manuscript features a forged colophon claiming it was copied in 798 AD by order of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. An old legend also suggested it was a diplomatic gift sent to Charlemagne, though scholars have proven both the attribution and the legend to be false.

Wetzstein II 1940 (Ahlwardt 330)
This manuscript features large, stately script on somewhat yellowed parchment. Interestingly, while diacritical marks are almost entirely absent, vowels are frequently indicated with red dots, which is a characteristic of early vocalization systems.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 333 (c)
The manuscript features intricate, uncolored ornamental bands at the end of surahs, added in originally blank spaces. These bands, drawn in the same ink as the verse separators, contain complex geometric and vegetal patterns, including interlaced triangles, lozenges, and elongated palmettes.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 340 (c) (Scan 1)
This manuscript is a notable early Abbasid period fragment executed in the Kūfī B.II script. While diacritical marks are absent, it features red dots for partial vocalization and uniquely employs golden hāʾ medallions to mark groups of five verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 340 (c) (Scan 2)
This manuscript is a notable early Abbasid period fragment executed in the Kūfī B.II script. While diacritical marks are absent, it features red dots for partial vocalization and uniquely employs golden hāʾ medallions to mark groups of five verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 343 (Scan 1)
The manuscript uses decorative medallions and bands to mark every ten verses, rather than separating individual verses. A marginal note in cursive script reveals it was once owned by Aḥmad Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Huwaydī, with later readers adding pious notes in the margins.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 343 (Scan 2)
The manuscript uses decorative medallions and bands to mark every ten verses, rather than separating individual verses. A marginal note in cursive script reveals it was once owned by Aḥmad Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Huwaydī, with later readers adding pious notes in the margins.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 346 (d) (Scan 1)
This manuscript features elaborate verse markers, including rosettes for individual verses and golden marginal medallions indicating groups of five and ten verses. Four of its folios are held separately at the Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (A 447), and notably, folio 78 has been reported missing from the French National Library collection since around the year 2000.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 346 (d) (Scan 2)
This manuscript features elaborate verse markers, including rosettes for individual verses and golden marginal medallions indicating groups of five and ten verses. Four of its folios are held separately at the Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (A 447), and notably, folio 78 has been reported missing from the French National Library collection since around the year 2000.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 346 (d) (Scan 3)
This manuscript features elaborate verse markers, including rosettes for individual verses and golden marginal medallions indicating groups of five and ten verses. Four of its folios are held separately at the Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (A 447), and notably, folio 78 has been reported missing from the French National Library collection since around the year 2000.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 349 (d) (Scan 1)
This fragmented manuscript, held at the BnF and known as Arabe 349 (d), was discovered in al-Fustat, the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule. It is notable for its intricate verse dividers featuring rosettes and medallions, and utilizes a sparse system of oblique strokes for diacritics and green dots for hamzas.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 349 (d) (Scan 2)
This fragmented manuscript, held at the BnF and known as Arabe 349 (d), was discovered in al-Fustat, the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule. It is notable for its intricate verse dividers featuring rosettes and medallions, and utilizes a sparse system of oblique strokes for diacritics and green dots for hamzas.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 354 (c)
This early Kufic manuscript is notable for its illuminated details, including golden Kufic hāʾ letters marking groups of five verses, medallions containing letter-numerals for groups of ten, and surah titles written in gold ink.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 6982
This anonymous, undated Kufic manuscript stands out for its decorative features, including yellow Kufic 'hā' letters marking groups of five verses and vine-scroll vignettes for surah headings. It features a recent Maghrebi binding with geometric gold motifs and previously belonged to the collection of General Lyautey.
