Blue Qur'an single leaf realises $547,500 in London sale

A single leaf from the Blue Qur'an, an important medieval manuscript, has sold for £365,000 ($547,565).

The lot was among the highlights of a sale of Islamic art at Sotheby's London on April 22.

Blue Quran
The Blue Qur'an is believed to originate in the 9th or 10th century AD 

It dates to around the 9th or 10th century AD, although its origins are a mystery.

Sotheby's explained in the run-up to the sale: "When complete it must have been one of the most luxurious manuscripts ever produced in the early medieval period of the Islamic world…

"The exact origins of the Blue Qur'an are unknown but a number of theories have been put forward over the last century; some scholars believe its origins lie in Qairawan, Tunisia, while others have suggested it was produced in Cordoba, Spain...

"It is universally agreed that it is a startlingly luxurious example of early Islamic manuscript production, whose patron must have been a ruler of enormous wealth and ambition, and that it was one of the most important manuscripts of the Qur'an produced in the medieval Arab world."

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