First major Quran exhibition to be held in Washington DC

The exhibition is set to open at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M Sackler Gallery in Washington DC from October 15 through February 20 next year.

An ink, colour and gold manuscript on paper from the Iran, Shiraz, Safavid period, ca. 1580, which is part of 'The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts' exhibition Show more

WASHINGTON // Exquisitely decorated manuscripts of the Quran will be the centerpiece of a first-of-its-kind exhibition in the United States as the Smithsonian displays one of its top collections of the holy book.

The Smithsonian's Arthur M Sackler Gallery announced on Tuesday that The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts will bring 48 manuscripts and folios from the museum in Istanbul together with manuscripts from the collection of the Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art, which together form the Smithsonian's museums of Asian art.

The exhibition is set to open on October 15 through February 20 next year.

Islam and the Quran may come up during debates and discussions, but Massumeh Farhad, chief curator at the Sackler and Freer and curator of Islamic art, says this exhibition is a chance to present a different story. She calls it an opportunity to “focus on the importance of this as a work of art and importance in art history”.

The Arabic text of the Quran was fixed as early as the late 7th century, Mr Farhad said, but the variety in Qurans is “staggering”.

The exhibition will showcase different styles of calligraphy and illumination.

Visitors will be able to compare different Qurans and “see the sweep of history in front of us”, said Sheila Blair, an art history professor who specialises in Islamic art at Boston College and Virginia Commonwealth University. “It shows how diverse the Muslim world is.”

These Qurans were commissioned by elites and created by artisans, but they also had second or third lives noted in inscriptions that reflect the history they witnessed, said Simon Rettig, assistant curator of Islamic art.

One Quran – completed in 1307 for the tomb of Mongol leader Uljaytu in Soltaniyeh, Iran – was taken to Istanbul by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1531 and went to his relatives.

“This book has had more incredible moments than I’ve had in my life,” Mr Rettig said.

The Qurans span nearly a millennium, dating from the late 7th or early 8th centuries (not long after the time of Prophet Mohammad) to the 17th century.

They originally come from the Near East, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Iraq.

But in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, the government transferred valuable artworks across the empire to Istanbul and they are now kept at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.

The show is an opportunity for people to see these Qurans up close in the US and “reflect on their own assumptions”, said Julian Raby, director of the Sackler and Freer.

* Associated Press