François Déroche, a specialist of Arabic manuscripts with a special interest in the history of the written transmission of the Qur’an, gave a lecture on “Qur’anic Manuscripts in Umayyad Times” at Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Amricani Cultural Centre.
He presented a survey of material and of its diversity, allowing us to discover the impressive creativity of this period and to understand some of the reasons for the birth of a first Islamic art of the book and the function of the Qur’anic manuscripts. He also examined new discoveries and technological advances that have allowed for a more precise understanding of Qur’anic manuscripts–some of which had been studied for some time but were often subjects of misattribution. The new information led to a completely new appraisal of the history of the Qur’anic manuscript in Umayyad times (41 ah/661 ce to 132 ah/750 ce).