Syria Unveils ‘Mushaf al-Sham’ at Damascus Int'l Fair +Video
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Mushaf al-Sham is regarded as the world’s largest copy of a handwritten Quran. The project took 20 years to complete.
The work was initiated by calligrapher Mohammad Moataz Obeid, who collaborated with 62 calligraphers from 17 countries. It was presented to the public for the first time at the Damascus International Fair, held from August 28 to 31, which is considered one of Syria’s leading economic and cultural events.
The idea dates back to 2005, when Obeid set out to produce a unique Quranic manuscript reflecting both spiritual and artistic values. The writing process began in Khan Asaad Pasha, a historic site in Old Damascus, where international calligraphers gathered for a special exhibition dedicated to the project.
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The manuscript was completed within a year, and the original pages were first shown in 2006 at the Throne Hall of Aleppo Citadel. The project brought together artists from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, the UAE, Yemen, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, and Algeria, highlighting unity within the Islamic world.
Each page of Mushaf al-Sham measures 2.5 meters in height and 1.55 meters in width. The Quran consists of 125 main pages and nine supplementary pages, each containing 33 lines. The decorations and illumination were completed by Abdul Karim Darwish, a Syrian-German artist.
In 2024, the Quran was bound and printed using advanced methods and modern technology, with an artificial leather cover. Obeid told SANA that the manuscript conveys a message of peace and love from Syria to the world.
The Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments plans to place the first copy in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, while additional copies are intended for Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied al-Quds.
Between 2006 and 2011, the manuscript underwent theological and linguistic reviews before receiving official approval from the Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments and its Council of Scholars. It was later endorsed by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf in 2012 and by Al-Azhar in 2022.
The project has been submitted for inclusion in the Guinness World Records and is awaiting official registration under a special reference number.
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