A rare illuminated Qur'an juz', North Africa, 13th/14th century

text: surah al-sad (XXXVIII) to end of surah al-tur
Arabic manuscript on paper, 183 leaves plus 2 flyleaves, 8 lines to the page, written in bold Maghribi script in black ink, vocalisation in red, verses separated by gold forms pointed in red and blue, every fifth verse marked by a marginal medallion containing the word khamsa in white Kufic script, every tenth verse marked by a larger medallion with the word ashara, surah headings written in gold Kufic, opening illuminated double-page frontispiece and single-page finispiece with elaborate interlocking geometric decoration in gold, blue and red, brown morocco binding with intricate tooled lattice decoration, with flap

In generally good condition, calligraphy bold and illumination mostly bright, some thumbing, few minor stains throughout, some wear and rubbing to the frontispiece and some marginal devices, worming with associated repairs, particularly to the double-page frontispiece and the finispiece, some wear and repair to binding, as viewed.
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The present Qur'an juz' is remarkable for many reasons, but particularly for its beautiful fine contemporary binding decorated with a tight weave of knotted ropework, of which a large original section still survives, and because it is written on paper rather than vellum. This is highly unusual for manuscripts written in North West Africa where the practice of using vellum was maintained long after it was out of fashion in other areas of the Islamic world. The illumination throughout is also executed with utmost attention to detail. The surah headings, frontispiece and finispiece are adorned with complex geometric designs drawn from Islamic architectural forms, particularly seen in North Africa.