Surah 16:91

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.

Cairo, Egyptian National Library and Archives, qāf 117 (Bergsträßer archives) (Scan 1)
This codex is a composite of six different fragments photographed by Gotthelf Bergsträßer around 1930. The fragments encompass a wide range of distinct script styles, from early Ḥiǧāzī and Kūfī to later Maġribī, reflecting a diverse collection of leaves bound or kept together at the Khedivial Library in Cairo.

Cairo, Egyptian National Library and Archives, qāf 117 (Bergsträßer archives) (Scan 2)
This codex is a composite of six different fragments photographed by Gotthelf Bergsträßer around 1930. The fragments encompass a wide range of distinct script styles, from early Ḥiǧāzī and Kūfī to later Maġribī, reflecting a diverse collection of leaves bound or kept together at the Khedivial Library in Cairo.

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.

Saint Petersburg, The National Library of Russia, Marcel 13 (Scan 1)
This early Quranic manuscript is part of the Marcel collection, originally acquired in Egypt by Jean-Joseph Marcel during the French expedition. It is related to fragments Marcel 11, Marcel 15, and BNF Arabe 330 (c).

Saint Petersburg, The National Library of Russia, Marcel 13 (Scan 2)
This early Quranic manuscript is part of the Marcel collection, originally acquired in Egypt by Jean-Joseph Marcel during the French expedition. It is related to fragments Marcel 11, Marcel 15, and BNF Arabe 330 (c).

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.

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.

Samarkand Kufic Quran (Scan 1)
This monumental manuscript is one of the oldest surviving Qurans, traditionally believed to be the personal copy of Caliph Uthman stained with his blood. After being taken by Russian imperial forces in 1868 to Saint Petersburg, it was repatriated to Tashkent in 1923.

Samarkand Kufic Quran (Scan 2)
This monumental manuscript is one of the oldest surviving Qurans, traditionally believed to be the personal copy of Caliph Uthman stained with his blood. After being taken by Russian imperial forces in 1868 to Saint Petersburg, it was repatriated to Tashkent in 1923.

Cairo, Khedivial Library, Moritz 1905, table 31-36
The physical manuscript is currently lost and its origin is unknown; it survives today only through six photographs published in Bernhard Moritz's monumental 1905 album 'Arabic Palaeography'.

Moritz 1905, Tables 39-40 (Scan 1)
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.

Moritz 1905, Tables 39-40 (Scan 2)
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.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 337 (d)
This codex is written on parchment in the D.I style of early Kufic script. A unique feature of this manuscript is that the initial 'ayn (ع) letters have been systematically traced over by a later hand, and golden hāʾ symbols are used to indicate groups of five verses.

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.
![Cairo, Khedivial Library, "qāf 3" (Gotthelf Bergsträßer archives) [maṣāḥif 387], in kūfī type C script, showing Surah 16:91 from 8th Century AD found in Egypt, currently housed at Egyptian National Library and Archives, Cairo](https://mss.readyapologia.com/quran/codex_01335/181_manuscript-1335-page-42933-image-28642.jpg)
Cairo, Khedivial Library, "qāf 3" (Gotthelf Bergsträßer archives) [maṣāḥif 387]
This extensive 8th-century manuscript is well-known today through a collection of 471 photographs taken by Gotthelf Bergsträßer around 1930, preserving its contents in his archive.

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
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 (Scan 1)
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.

Arabe 399 (Scan 2)
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.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 325 (h)
This anonymous and undated manuscript features a unique, unclassified script characterized by bold, vertical lettering. Notably, it includes oval-shaped diacritical dots that were added extensively, as well as red dots used for vocalization.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 325 (j)
This fragmentary manuscript features Kūfī D.III script with an evolving orthography, using partially added oblique strokes for diacritics. Uniquely, it employs color-coded dots for pronunciation, using red and orange for vocalization and orange and green specifically for the hamza.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 343
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.

BNF Arabe 351
BNF Arabe 351 is an early Quranic manuscript written in the Kufic D.III script with 5 lines per page. It belongs to the same original codex as several dispersed fragments, notably those from the Jean-Joseph Marcel collection currently held in Russia.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 356 (a) (Scan 1)
Held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this manuscript features red dots for vocalization and green dots for hamza. It also uses gold Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to mark groups of five verses and marginal medallions for tens of verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 356 (a) (Scan 2)
Held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this manuscript features red dots for vocalization and green dots for hamza. It also uses gold Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to mark groups of five verses and marginal medallions for tens of verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 356 (a) (Scan 3)
Held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this manuscript features red dots for vocalization and green dots for hamza. It also uses gold Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to mark groups of five verses and marginal medallions for tens of verses.

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 362 (a)
This early Abbasid-era manuscript is notable for its sparse use of diacritics and its decorative elements, including golden Kufic hāʾ letters and medallions to mark every five and ten verses, as well as golden ink for Surah titles and verse counts.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 363 (a) (Scan 1)
This anonymous and undated parchment manuscript is written in a Kufic script close to the D.I style, utilizing oblique strokes for consonantal diacritics and red dots for vocalization. While individual verses are not separated, groups of five are marked with a golden Kufic letter hāʾ, and groups of ten are indicated by specialized circular medallions. Notably, the margin of folio 12v contains the indication for prostration (sajdah) written in gold characters.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 363 (a) (Scan 2)
This anonymous and undated parchment manuscript is written in a Kufic script close to the D.I style, utilizing oblique strokes for consonantal diacritics and red dots for vocalization. While individual verses are not separated, groups of five are marked with a golden Kufic letter hāʾ, and groups of ten are indicated by specialized circular medallions. Notably, the margin of folio 12v contains the indication for prostration (sajdah) written in gold characters.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 370 (c) (Scan 1)
This early Quranic fragment is notable for its illuminated Surah titles, where the title and verse counts are written with words in alternating red and green ink. The manuscript also employs rare oblique strokes for diacritical marks and red dots for vocalization, alongside red Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to mark groups of five verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 370 (c) (Scan 2)
This early Quranic fragment is notable for its illuminated Surah titles, where the title and verse counts are written with words in alternating red and green ink. The manuscript also employs rare oblique strokes for diacritical marks and red dots for vocalization, alongside red Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to mark groups of five verses.

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.

Cambridge University Library, MS Add.1132 (Scan 1)
This fragment was acquired by the University of Cambridge in 1878 from Edward H. Palmer and E.E. Tyrwhitt Drake. Palmer collected this and other early Qur'an manuscripts during a notable research expedition to the Sinai Peninsula.

Cambridge University Library, MS Add.1132 (Scan 2)
This fragment was acquired by the University of Cambridge in 1878 from Edward H. Palmer and E.E. Tyrwhitt Drake. Palmer collected this and other early Qur'an manuscripts during a notable research expedition to the Sinai Peninsula.

Cambridge University Library MS Add. 1133
This codex fragment was acquired in 1878 by the English orientalist Edward H. Palmer and E.E. Tyrwhitt Drake during an expedition to the Sinai Peninsula. It is an excellent example of Abbasid Qur'anic calligraphy, executed in the distinctive Kūfī E script.

Diez A oct 172
This codex is largely complete, containing the entire Quran, though the first folio and a few other leaves were supplied by a later hand. Written on parchment, the manuscript represents an important transitional stage in the evolution of the Arabic script toward the Maghrebi style. While generally well-preserved, some of the early and late folios exhibit water damage and have been repaired.

BNF Arabe 6430
This 10th-century Quranic manuscript is notable for being written on Oriental paper rather than parchment. It features complete diacritics and vocalization, with distinctive colorful verse markers including yellow Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to signal groups of five verses.

Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, Is 1431
This complete Quran was produced in Baghdad by the renowned calligrapher ʿAlī b. Hilāl, also known as Ibn al-Bawwāb, around 1000-1001 AD. He is a significant figure in Islamic art, closely associated with the adoption of the round Naskh script to transcribe the Quran.

Doha, Qatar National Library, HC.MS.00715 (Scan 1)
This codex is closely related to two other Andalusian manuscripts held in Istanbul, which were written in Cordoba (1143-1144 AD) and Valencia (1182-1183 AD), suggesting a similar provenance. It features distinctive Maġribī micrography for the main text and angular chrysography for the Surah headings.

Doha, Qatar National Library, HC.MS.00715 (Scan 2)
This codex is closely related to two other Andalusian manuscripts held in Istanbul, which were written in Cordoba (1143-1144 AD) and Valencia (1182-1183 AD), suggesting a similar provenance. It features distinctive Maġribī micrography for the main text and angular chrysography for the Surah headings.

Cambridge University Library MS Add.1131
This manuscript features distinctive illumination where yellow is used instead of gold, indicating a middling quality of production. It also employs an intricate color-coding system for recitation marks, with yellow dots for the hamza, blue for sukūn and tašdīd, and red for all other vocalizations.