Indonesian Qur'an

The paper used for this Qur’an manuscript from Java may look a bit rugged and not particularly luxurious today, but it is soft and smooth at touch. It is called dluwang, a local paper made from the beaten and polished bark of the mulberry tree. Despite using a relatively modest writing support, the text of this Qur’an has been copied by an expert calligrapher in a sharp script which slopes slightly on the left. The sura titles have been written in red ink and placed within simple black ruled frames, the multiple-knotted decorative shape of the final letter ta’ marbuta that can be seen at the end of each title is a typical characteristic of Javanese Arabic manuscripts. The manuscript has no embellishment besides of the opening and closing pages, which display a lively decoration in reserve against a bright red ground with a domed arch on the outer vertical margins.