- Owner
- Written «برسم الخزانة العلية الكريمة النبوية الحسنية الإمامية الأحمدية المنصورية», “for the exalted, noble, prophetic, Hasanid, imamic, Ahmadi, Mansuri library”, that is, the library of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur al-Dhahabi (r. 986–1012 AH / 1578–1603 CE)
- Copyist
- We did not find his name in the colophon
- Place
- «بجامع الديوان الكريم من قصور الإمامة العلية», “in the mosque of the noble Diwan in the palaces of the exalted imamate”, in Marrakesh
- Today
- El Escorial, Royal Library, árabe 1340
- Format
- Paper; 266 folios; 263 × 177 mm; 17 lines
- Reading
- Qalun from Nafiʿ
It is known as the Qur’an of Mawlay Zaydan, because it was in the library of al-Mansur’s son, Sultan Zaydan, when the Spanish seized it in 1612 CE, and entered the Escorial with the rest of his books.
Its colophon is a full page in gold on a lapis blue ground, and describes the ink: «بالمداد المقام من فائق العنبر المتعاهد السقيا بالعبير...», “with ink made of the finest ambergris, steeped again and again in perfume...”. François Déroche and Nuria Martínez de Castilla see a clear Ottoman influence in its binding and decoration. Between its lines, small gold ṣāds mark the places of pause set out by Muhammad al-Habti (d. 930 AH).
From the colophon in gold on lapis blue (fol. 264r)
...برسم الخزانة العلية الكريمة النبوية الحسنية الإمامية الأحمدية المنصورية... ووافق تمامه يوم الأربعاء الثالث عشر من ربيع الثاني عام ثمانية وألف بجامع الديوان الكريم من قصور الإمامة العلية...
...for the exalted, noble, prophetic, Hasanid, imamic, Ahmadi, Mansuri library... Its completion fell on Wednesday the thirteenth of Rabiʿ II of the year one thousand and eight, in the mosque of the noble Diwan in the palaces of the exalted imamate...
Our reading from the image of the folio. The text is long, so we have kept only the passages naming the library and the date. 13 Rabiʿ II 1008 AH corresponds to about 2 November 1599 CE.
From Marrakesh to the Escorial
