Groningen Üniversitesi Kur’an’ı “uklu HANDS 468”

Abstract

This article focuses on the Qurʾān, identified as an "early Qurʾānic manuscript" in Europe, cata-loged as "uklu HANDS 468" in the library of the University of Groningen. The Qurʾān is not a complete Qurʾān and is a "mixed Qurʾān". 1/4 of this Qurʾān is written in Kufic script and the rest is written in Maghribi script. All the verses are collected in a single volume. The section writ-ten in Kūfic calligraphy shows the characteristics of the 3rd Hijri period. On the other hand, the section written in Maghribī script belongs to the later period. Moreover, this Qurʾān was both transliterated and translated into Latin by Johann Heinrich Hottinger. The Qurʾān of "uklu HANDS 468" uses an ancient Qurʾān unlike previous studies. In this respect, the Qurʾān catalo-ged in "uklu HANDS 468" is significant. This article's main purpose is analyzing this Qurʾān from the point of view of "Mushaf science". It is especially important because it reveals the "Muṣḥaf history" of the Qurʾāns thought to belong to the early period. For the purpose of the article, the Qurʾān is analyzed in terms of its codicological, paleographic, orthographic and con-tent features. In conclusion, the section written in Kūfic script has has features from the last part of the third century Hijri. The section written in Maghribi script seems to be from the fifth or sixth century. Qurʾāns from different locations and time periods could be assembled and bound together by the purchaser. This Qurʾān belongs to the category of "mixed Qurʾāns". It seems to be one of the first translations using an early Qurʾānic manuscript. Based on its ornamentation, it can be said that the Qurʾān has been interfered with in some places. Considering the script featu-res of the Qurʾān, the scribe's hand was shaking, especially in the section written in Kūfic script, and this is evident in the writing. In other words, it may be a Qurʾān copied in later years based on an early Qurʾān manuscript. There is no clear information on this subject.