Quran. Ottoman Empire, 1865 CE

Quran.
Illuminated manuscript in Arabic on paper.
[Ottoman Empire], dated 1282 AH (1865 CE). (BRMS 26)

The decoration in this Quran is from the late Ottoman period, featuring bright colors and calligraphy in opaque white ink on gold grounds. At the end of the manuscript the scribe entered the date 1282. The Muslim dating system begins with the year 622 CE, the date of the Hegira, the Prophet Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina, which marked the foundation of Islam. The conversion formula from the Hegirian year (AH) to the year of the Common Era used in Western calendars is:

Thus, the date 1282 AH in this manuscript is equivalent to 1865 CE.

Gift of Professor Charles S. Braden, 1970.