Title: Lithography Block- Qur’an Page
Manufacturer: Unknown | مجهول
Origin: Ottoman Empire (?)
Date: ~ 13th H /19th or 14th H/20th Century CE
Script: Naskh
Size: 12 X 9 CM
Amount: 1 Block
Description: 11 Lines/Page | This is a zinc block used for printing the Qur’aan in the 19th century. There is a zinc plate nailed to a wooden block. This page is from Surat al Mutaffifeen: Verses 13 to 31
Incipit: اذا تتلى عليه ءاياتنا قال اساطير الاولين
Explicit: واذا انقلبوا الى أهلهم انقلبوا فكهين
Provenance: N/A
Research Notes: It’s probably in from the Ottoman empire, the smaller (title?) block appears to be in Ottoman Turkish?
Printing came very late to the Muslim empire, centuries after Gutenberg’s movable type was invented in the 15th century. Block Printing entered the Muslim world as early as the 10th Century CE, but was not used for Qur’ans or other texts, it was used for other purposes. The first Qur’an was actually printed in Italy for Christian Monks by Paganino de’ Paganini in 1537/1538 CE.
The first printing press opened in the Ottoman empire was at the hands of Ibraahim Mutafferika in the 18th century CE.
Accession #: LB.001