A collection of verse markers

The following are all the different verse markers found in one 9th-century Qur’an, folios of which are kept in different collections:

The folios can all be seen in one place in this digital musḥaf (more info here). The close-ups below are taken from the BnF and Bodleian folios.

The markers for 1 and 5 verses are consistent throughout, but there is no system for the rest, each of which is unique or very nearly. I like to think someone had a lot of fun making them (although of course they could be the work of several people, each with their own style). From 10 on, the number is spelled out inside the rosette—hover over the images to see the captions, click for full-size images. Note also the beautiful prostration marker, placed conspicuously well outside the text box.

(With my eternal gratitude to institutions that digitise their manuscripts and make them available in high-res!)

2 Replies

  • Joumana,, I love your dedication to Kufi and all the history connected to the script, and sharing that history with us, your students. For me, the history, your passion for making the inks and colours, in short: all that you do, makes learning the script so worthwhile. Thank you so much.

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