Calligraphers, Illuminators and Patrons: Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts from 1341-1412 AD in light of the collection of the National Library of Egypt

Abstract

The Mamluks of Egypt and Syria excelled in most arts, especially architecture and Qur’an manuscript production. While their architecture is heavily studied, very little in depth research has been done on their Qur’an manuscripts, especially the collection kept at the National Library of Egypt (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya). This dissertation examines and analyzes the illumination and calligraphy of the Mamluk Qur’an manuscripts produced after the death of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (d. 741/1341) until the death of the second Circassian Mamluk sultan Faraj ibn Barquq (d. 815/1412), that are kept in Dar al-Kutub. This period in Mamluk history was a turbulent one with socio-political calamities, yet Qur’an manuscript production was not affected. Illumination and calligraphy workshops have been identified using stylistic similarities in conjunction with the information found in the rich chronicles and biographical dictionaries of the Mamluk period. Biographies of artists, mostly calligraphers, were reconstructed and their modes of learning were investigated to shed light on their training process depending primarily on the calligraphy treatises of the period. Patrons, especially in their capacity as supporters of workshops, were also studied in light of the primary sources and to a lesser extent through their architecture.