قل لو كان البحر مدادا لكلمٰت ربي لنفد البحر قبل أن تنفد كلمٰت ربي ولو جئنا بمثله مددا
Say, “If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement. (Surat al-Kahf 18:109)
How could I resist a verse about ink? As starting point to this historical series, this aya was chosen to represent the seminal style of Manuscript Kufi below, which I consider to be the “high classic” of its different iterations.
Two different types of gold are used in the finished marker: gold leaf for the knot, and shell gold painted and burnished for the smaller details. The writing inside is actually numerals, referring to the verse.