Rare Mamluk-Era EGP 18 Million-Valued Qur'an From Egypt to be Auctioned Off in the UK

A rare copy of the Holy Quran, dating back to Egypt's Mamluk Era, is to be offered for sale at an upcoming auction at British auction house, Christie's. The copy is signed Tanam Al-Najmi Al-Maliki Al-Ashrafi, Mamluk Egypt, and is dated April 1489, as reported by US art magazine Blouin Art Info.

The copy, which is going on sale on May 2nd, is estimated to sell at a figure between GBP 500K and GBP 800K, equivalent to almost EGP 18 million. The source of the copy hasn't been made known.

"The Mamluks were extraordinarily bountiful in their endowment of institutions of the period. The city of Cairo remains today a living monument to the generosity of endowments by the wealthiest nobles throughout this period," said the auction house in a statement.

“It is illuminated florets between verses, diacritics in black, tajwid in red, sura headings in white, or gold thuluth within illuminated rectangular panels mainly in blue or pink. There are gold reading markers in margins, while double-page illuminated opening frontispiece is in gold and polychrome, preceded by an illuminated panel containing a dedication to Sultan Qaytbay in gold thuluth on lapis lazuli ground. Each page bears a central horizontal crease, in modern brown morocco with flap and brown leather doublures.”