Description:

Lot 57. A QURAN
Sub-Saharan Africa, probably Mali, Timbuktu or Northern Nigeria, 19th Century

This remarkable manuscript Quran originates from the Islamic scholarly centers of West Africa, most likely Timbuktu or the Hausa-Fulani regions of northern Nigeria. Written in bold Maghribi or Sudani script, the text is rendered in dark brown and red inks on locally prepared paper. Each folio exhibits characteristic regional features such as geometrically stylized verse markers, marginal annotations in red, and occasional illuminated chapter headings.

The manuscript shows extensive use and age-related wear, with water staining and partial loss to several leaves, consistent with long-term devotional or teaching use. Its original leather carrying satchel—typical of Qurans from this region—survives, featuring hand-stitched seams and applied decorative motifs in natural-dyed leather.

Such manuscripts represent a rich tradition of Islamic learning in sub-Saharan Africa, where the Quran was not only an object of devotion but also central to a trans-Saharan scholarly and trade network linking West Africa with North Africa and the Middle East.

Provenance: Private collection; formerly in a regional Islamic school archive, West Africa.

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November 7, 2025 1:00 PM GMT
London, United Kingdom

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