Library and Information Sciences

Library and Information Sciences

The oldest collage art in the Quran Museum of Astan Quds Razavi from the Seljuk Era

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Vahid Tavassoli
Msc. in Iranian Studies, Manuscript Research Specialist at Astan Quds Razavi Library, Mashhad, Iran
10.30481/lis.2025.494637.2220
Abstract
Objective: The collage art is one of the branches of book layout in Islamic civilization entered Iran from the East and during the Timurid period; however, this research revealed that the history of the art of cutting dates back to the Seljuk period and the beginning of the sixth century AH. This art can be identified in the endowment pamphlets of the Yahya Hibatullah al_Husayni family to the library of the Razavi Holy Shrine. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the oldest collage art used in the manuscripts and illuminations of the Quran in the Quran Museum of Quds Razavi Province, which is related to the Seljuk period.
Methodology: The research is applied in terms of purpose conducted in a descriptive and analytical manner with purposeful sampling. Given the lack of access to the original sources, the data collection tool is library-based, and a checklist of manuscript information was prepared, then analyzed through tables, and finally, the findings were presented in the form of conceptual passages.
Findings: It showed that all the manuscript elements of the Qurans, including their writing and illumination, were done by the Hibatullah al_Husayni family or under their supervision. By comparing the manuscript elements of these booklets, it was found that all the booklets were arranged in the same way; therefore, both booklets 4240 and 82 were written and illuminated in the same period. The findings showed that two patterns were used in the sectoral art papers: one protective in booklet 4240 and the second protective and decorative pattern in booklet 82.
Conclusion: The findings obtained from the manuscript analysis of the collection of Quranic pamphlets revealed that the sectorial art used in these Qurans was created by the Hibatullah al_Husayni family at the Bayhaq calligraphy center in Khorasan, and that the artist or master responsible for the sectorial art worked in this calligraphy center. Another result of this research is the identification of the oldest sectorial art related to the Seljuk period, which was executed in a simple form or with geometric knotting designs. It was also discovered that geometric motifs were not incorporated into the sectorial art patterns of the Timurid and Safavid periods. The patterns obtained indicated that sectorial art was also employed in other Qurans from the Seljuk period, and by identifying the sectorial art in Quranic manuscripts, the place of their creation can be determined. Finally, it was concluded that this art was frequently utilized during the Seljuk period, and the origin of this art can be attributed to that era.
Keywords
the art of cutting paper
Hibatullah al_Husayni
Qurʾānic Manuscripts
Seljuk period
Astan Quds Razavi
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