Two folios, from a manuscript known as the “Blue Qur’an”

Unknown artist

ca. 950

Parchment coloured blue with indigo, gold, and silver leaf outlined in ink

Aga Khan Museum

Two folios of a manuscript display gold Kufic script on a deep blue parchment background. The folios are slightly damaged at the edges. Two folios of a manuscript display gold Kufic script on a deep blue parchment background. The folios are slightly damaged at the edges. The "Blue Qur’an" is one of the most distinctive manuscripts of the Qur’an. Its name derives from its striking appearance: fifteen lines of angular gold calligraphy written on dark blue parchment. Known to scholars since the beginning of the 20th century, it has an uncertain origin. Pages from this manuscript have been variously attributed to Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Sicily, and Spain in either the 9th or 10th centuries. As the largest portion of the manuscript remains in Tunisia, where its