A Qur'an leaf in Kufic script on vellum, Near East or North Africa, first half 10th century

This fragmentary Qur'an leaf originates from a rare manuscript, few folios of which have been published. It relates most closely to two other dispersed Qur'ans of the tenth century, one with three lines of script, and a further manuscript composed of five lines of Kufic (see S. Fogg 2005, pp.40-41, no.18). Both these Qur'ans share with the present leaf a distinctive script, with very tall vertical letters (alif, lam and lam/alif), wide, curving terminal nun and the thin, trailing loops of the tails of terminal mim. The attribution of the latter manuscript has been suggested as potentially Cairo, Damascus or Qairawan.