Qur'an Ghubari scroll

Qur'an scroll fromTurkey, 15 CE. ACM, Singapore

Close up of the Qur'an scroll, 14 x 112 cm

If there was a fire in the museum, which artifact would I save? Tough question since there are so many beautiful artifacts in the museum but hands down, it would have to be a 500 year old Qur’an scroll written in ghubar script. The scroll measures 112cm x 14 cm and amazingly, it contains the entire contents of the holy book of the Muslims, the Qur’an.

The holy Qur’an contains God’s revelations to Prophet Muhammad in the 7^th CE and literally means recitation. It comprises of more than 77 thousand words in Arabic and they are all contained here, in a space measuring just over 1 meter. What you can see from far is a popular Shi’ite invocation but on closer inspection (click on the pictures to enlarge them), you can see minuscule words entirely handwritten in an Arabic calligraphic script called ghubar, which in Arabic means dustlike. The letters are as tiny and delicate as dust, often measuring between 1.3 and 3mm, like an army of tiny ants on paper. The ghubar script was probably first developed to convey military messages via carrier pigeons or pigeon post - olden day courier service!

What I find absolutely fascinating is the skill of the calligrapher who has painstakingly written this scroll. I can’t imagine the number of hours spent practicing and planning it and since it contains the sacred words, there can be no mistakes. Traditional tools used by Arabic calligraphers are carbon-based black ink, a reed pen called qalam and paper. The qalam is hand-cut by the calligrapher at an ergonomic angle and is slit down the center to hold ink. The width of the reed pen used to write ghubari is so small, barely visible to the naked eye.

Qalam made of reed used by Arabic calligraphers

There is a story that I like to tell the visitors. A 15th CE calligrapher eager to impress the ruler Timur (also known as Tamerlane) presented him with a miniature ghubari Qur'an that was so tiny that it could fit under a signet ring. You would think that the great ruler would be impressed, but it was not so. The calligrapher then made a Qur'an so large that it needed to be carried in a cart and for this, he was handsomely rewarded.

The ghubari script is too small to be read so the purpose of the scroll is as a talisman, since the words of God are believed to have protective powers. Ghubari miniature Qur’an were mainly commissioned for their portability and some were put into cases that were worn either around the neck or around the arm. Out of respect for the sacred words, they would have to be worn above the waist.

Miniature Qur'an from Persia or Anatolia, 14 CE (7 x 4.9 cm). ACM, Singapore

After looking at these Qur'ans, you realize why Arabic calligraphy is considered the highest art form in the Islamic world.

Introduction

'Hello, my name is Pritika and I am a volunteer at the museum. I'm originally from India but have lived in Oman, the US and now here.' This is my standard introduction before starting a tour at the Asian civilisations museum (ACM), Singapore.

Incase you are wondering who a docent is, it's a volunteer tour guide who has to bring artifacts in the museum to life and hold the visitors interest for an hour.

Its been a two year journey of discovery into a new life as a docent and I love every moment of it. I had a passion for art and now a new found love for anthropology (incidently, I also love the anthropologie stores in the US). I find it stimulating to interact with people from different countries and at the end of the tour, hopefully they leave with a greater understanding of Asian artifacts and the society that flourished in Asia.

As you can imagine, there is a fair amount of research that is required to become a docent since you have to be able to speak intelligently about an artifact and answer questions on the spur of the moment. I thought it would be a great idea to share my discoveries with the wider community and therefore am embarking on writing a blog. I will primarily write about artifacts that are in the ACM and some of the docents who bring it to life, so watch this space!

Just to set expectations, this is not a blog that is suppose to contain erudite research, but its for the general public who is probably not very familiar with historical events or doesn't have an art background. All the posts will contain information that is public but having said that, I will check sources and list them for most posts.

You can visit the ACM website to check the latest exhibitions at www.acm.com.sg. The museum celebrate the peoples who have helped in shaping Singapore into the cosmopolitan hub that it is today. The collection has artifacts from South Asia, China, South-east Asia and West Asia...lots to explore so if you are in the neighbourhood, do drop in.

Entrance to the ACM