27 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Researchers have unveiled text concealed beneath an intricate decorative layer of gold leaf on a page of the famous Blue Qur’an

Using multispectral imaging techniques, researchers from the Zayed National Museum have uncovered text hidden beneath an intricate layer of gold leaf on a page of the Blue Qur’an, one of the world’s best-known Quranic manuscripts.

The team uncovered verses from Surah al-Nisa under an intricate layer of gold leaf ornamentation on a page of the Blue Qur’an, one of the most important examples of Islamic calligraphy.

Surah al Nisa focuses on the rights of women, the law of inheritance, care for orphans, lawful and unlawful women to marry, and standing for justice.

The Blue Qur’an is a copy of the Qur’an dating from 800-900 CE. The manuscript is known for its distinctive vivid blue or indigo pages, silver decoration, and gold Kufic calligraphy. Its palette is thought to refer to the purple‑dyed, gilded manuscripts made in the neighboring Byzantine Empire.

The text is written in Kufic script. As in other early Qur’ans, the script here is difficult to read because the letters have been manipulated to make each line the same length, and the marks necessary to distinguish between letters have been omitted.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



 It originally comprised 600 sheets, each made from sheepskin. Leaves from the manuscript have been known to scholars since the early years of the 20th century, but it first came to wide scholarly attention in the 1970s, following the publication of several leaves in such international exhibitions as the Arts of Islam at the Hayward Gallery in London. It was attributed either to ninth-century Iran or Tunisia, where the bulk of the manuscript was said to remain. Some scholars have suggested that the manuscript could have been produced in Umayyad Spain, Kalbid Sicily, or Abbasid Iraq.

Image Credit: Zayed National Museum

 Today, only around 100 pages are to be found in private and museum collections around the world, five of which will be displayed at the Zayed National Museum.

The pages were examined using multispectral imaging, a technique that can reveal text and images that have faded over time and are no longer visible to the human eye.

The ornamentation in this instance might have been incorporated to correct a calligrapher’s own mistake, which could have involved copying the text of a page of the sacred script. Because the cost of producing the manuscript would have been too high to justify beginning anew on a fresh sheepskin sheet dyed in indigo, the text was covered with elaborate patterns.

These actions resulting from decisions made by calligraphers is an aspect of manuscript production that has never been highlighted for the Blue Qur’an before and is exceedingly rarely seen in Islamic manuscripts of this age.

Mai Al Mansouri, Associate Curator, Zayed National Museum said in a press release: “Zayed National Museum’s groundbreaking research on the Blue Qur’an sheds new light on the origins and production of this important manuscript and underlines the role of the museum in the cultural and academic life of the UAE and beyond.”

Folio in the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. CC BY-SA 3.0

Nurul Iman Bint Rusli, Curator,  Zayed National Museum said in a press release:: “Only one copy of the Blue Qur’an is thought to exist and the 100 or so of its known pages have fascinated scholars for many decades. The advanced technology used to shed new light on this page of the manuscript is helping to provide additional perspectives on the production of this rare copy of the Qur’an.

This page of the Blue Qur’an will be displayed in the Zayed National Museum’s Through Connections gallery. The gallery highlights how the people of the ancient emirates expanded their horizons, how new materials, technologies, and knowledge affected their lives, how Islam spread, and how the Arabic language evolved.

Zayed National Museum

Cover Image Credit: Folio from the “Blue Qur’an” (MET 2004.88)

Related Articles

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue in Israel

8 August 2022

8 August 2022

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue at Huqoq in Israel,...

One Of The Largest And Most Significant Iron Age Hoards Ever Discovered In The UK Has Been Unveiled

26 March 2025

26 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, the Melsonby Hoard has emerged as one of the most significant Iron Age discoveries in...

Scientists Find Aztec ‘Death Whistles’ do Weird Things to the Listeners’ Brains

18 November 2024

18 November 2024

New research reveals that one of the Aztecs’ most chilling artefacts, clay death whistles, which resemble a human skull and...

Europe’s Oldest Blue Pigment Found in Stone Age Paint Box

30 September 2025

30 September 2025

Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered the earliest evidence of blue pigment ever used in Europe, rewriting our understanding of Stone...

To The West of Turkey Ancient Quarry Found

28 March 2021

28 March 2021

Turkey is very lucky in terms of ancient settlements. It is home to many unexplored artifacts, along with well-preserved ancient...

A Thousand-Year-Old Iron Age-old grave in Finland Is Ascribed to a Prominent Non-Binary Person

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Archaeologists found a weapon grave in Finland’s Suontaka Vesitorninmäki in 1968. The remains discovered in the burial have been at...

The Half of the Rare Oil Lamp Found in Jerusalem May be in Budapest

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

We had recently reported on a grotesque lamp found in Jerusalem. The other half of the oil lamp, which is...

New Study Reveals Ancient Secrets of the 3,600-year-old Nebra Sky Disc

2 December 2024

2 December 2024

Discovered in 1999 in Germany, the Nebra Sky Disc is the oldest known depiction of the cosmos. A recent examination...

Ukraine says Russian forces stole Scythian treasures from Melitopol Museum

11 May 2022

11 May 2022

Invading Russian troops have stolen items of ancient Scythian gold and other historical and cultural valuables that were stored in...

Archaeologists Discover Rare 3,800-Year-Old Clay Figurine of Frogs at Peru’s Vichama Site

31 August 2025

31 August 2025

Archaeologists in Peru have announced a remarkable discovery: a 3,800-year-old Clay figurine depicting two frogs, unearthed at the Vichama archaeological...

4000-year-old Temple With A 2.30 Meters Central Monolith Discovered in Cyprus

9 July 2024

9 July 2024

An Italian archaeological mission, the Erimi Archaeological Project of the University of Siena, discovered a 4,000-year-old temple in Cyprus. This...

Antikythera underwater excavation digs up new discoveries “huge marble head”

20 June 2022

20 June 2022

The second phase of underwater archaeological research (May 23 to June 15, 2022) on the Antikythera shipwreck resulted in the...

The Ancient City of Yijin Among the Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries in China

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Located in Hangzhou’s Lin’an District, Yijin Ancient City among the top 10 archaeological discoveries in China in 2020. Yijin Ancient...

Ancient DNA Reveals Missing Link in the Origins of Indo-European Languages Spoken by 40% of the World

6 February 2025

6 February 2025

A study published in the journal Nature has genetically identified the origins of the Indo-European language family, which includes over...

Remains of a Submerged Roman Harbor Discovered in Slovenia

7 March 2024

7 March 2024

Archaeologists from the Institute of Underwater Archaeology (ZAPA) have uncovered the remains of a submerged Roman harbor, off the coast...