The esteemed "Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan" has announced an ambitious endeavor on behalf of the President of Uzbekistan, focusing on the conservation and restoration of the revered Qur'an of Usman, famously known as the "Tashkent Qur'an." This significant manuscript is safeguarded in the museum-library of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, housed within the historic Muyi Mubarak madrasah in Tashkent.
The Qur'an of Usman holds profound historical and cultural significance, having been transcribed in the 7th century on the orders of the third righteous caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (575–656), in the esteemed Hijaz script. The project, which has garnered international attention, will enlist the expertise of foreign specialists, including Christine Rose from the University of Cambridge, along with restorers Axel Delo and Coralie Barb from France, and Neil Baydar from Istanbul's "Manuscript Hospital." Their task entails a meticulous examination of each page, the formulation of a comprehensive restoration plan, and the provision of recommendations for its future preservation.
The Qur'an of Usman, consisting of 338 sizable sheets, each measuring 53x68 cm, presents a unique opportunity for scholarly investigation and restoration. Christine Rose, the head of the restoration and conservation department at Cambridge International University, expressed her profound honor in participating in this historic endeavor. She noted,
"It is an incredible honor for me and my colleagues to take part in the restoration of one of the oldest manuscripts in the world."
A distinctive feature of the manuscript is its Hijaz script, devoid of diacritics, superscripts, and subscripts characteristic of later Arabic writing. Notably, the letter "alif" in the script exhibits a distinct tilt, adding to the manuscript's uniqueness and historical value.
Historical accounts trace the journey of "Usman’s Mushaf" to Central Asia, where it was brought to Samarkand by the renowned Amir Temur from Iraq in the 14th century. Following subsequent historical events, including the conquest of Central Asia by Tsarist Russia, the manuscript found its way to St. Petersburg in 1869 under the auspices of Governor-General Konstantin von Kaufmann. However, it was eventually repatriated to Uzbekistan in 1924, owing to the efforts of local ulama and a decree issued in 1923. In recognition of its profound cultural significance, UNESCO included the Uthman Quran in the prestigious Memory of the World register in 1997.
Comments (0)