Single-volume Qur'an

The Qur'an bears the signature of Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-'Ajami, who also states that he was its illuminator. The nisbah al-'Ajami suggests that he may have been of central or eastern Anatolian origin: under the Mamluks, the mosque of al-Azhar in Cairo was the foremost educational institution of Islam and attracted scholars from all over the Islamic world. The frontispiece is a careful copy of a celebrated Qur'an made  around 1369–72 for the Mamluk amir Arghunshah al-Ashrafi (Cairo, National Library, ms no 54). The boldly designed strapwork interlace is a feature of Mamluk decorative arts  of the period. The text is in a muhaqqaq hand tending towards the naskh. It is written in gold outlined in black. Verses are punctuated by gold rosettes and groups of ten verses are marked by medallions with the words 'ashr ('ten'). Groups of five verses are also marked.