Abstract
If we consider the role of the book as a communication tool, an analysis of its different materials and forms can reveal aspects of its use and function. For example, its dimensions and form can influence its mobility, its materials can affect its durability and both reflect different contexts of production and use. The Qur'an, as represented in its various written artefacts, presents an intriguing case study when the history of the book is refocused on the history of communication.
The available material evidence indicates that parchment was the material preferred for the Qur'an in the first four centuries of Islam. While some artefacts on papyrus are known to exist, the question of whether they were used to form Qur’anic codices is still open for debate. The material and codicological analysis of the Qur’an excerpt on papyrus preserved at the SUB Hamburg (P. Hamb. Arab. 68), recently edited by Tillier and Vanthieghem, seems to suggest that the use of such material was at least possible for the production of small independent booklets containing single sura.
Despite the general reception of the muṣḥaf as a single unity, as reflected in its common translation as 'codex', a very common format is the multivolume set. Sets comprising thousands of leaves are now dispersed across numerous institutions and countries, with the integrity and correct sequence of the original set often compromised. A case in point is the small manuscript that was formerly part of Hinckelmann's library and is now housed at the SUB in Hamburg (Cod. in Scrin 153a). The observation of its present form - ten non-continuous and unordered leaves -, attests to the existence of different stages of the object, which no longer retains its original shape: the material and codicological analysis of the object can contribute to shed light on its fragmentation process and its supposedoriginal structure.
In this presentation we will discuss the aforementioned case studies to illustrate how a combined material, codicological, historical and philological analysis can contribute to bring more clarity concerning the correlation between material features, use, and function of the manuscripts, and thus offering additional insight in understanding the role of the book as a communication tool in the Islamicate world.
