Historic Handwritten Quran Unveiled in Northeastern Iranian Village

IQNA – A 120-year-old handwritten Quran created by a local calligrapher was unveiled in the village of Shurcheh, in Quchan County, northeastern Iran, during a ceremony attended by cultural and Quranic officials.

The unveiling ceremony took place on Monday at the Imam Hassan Mojtaba Mosque in Shurcheh village, located in Khorasan Razavi Province.

The manuscript, known for its fine calligraphy and intricate illumination, was written and decorated about 120 years ago by the late Molla Hossein Zaman, a renowned artist from the region.

Local cultural figures, Quranic scholars, and calligraphers from Quchan attended the event to honor the artistic and spiritual legacy preserved in this manuscript.

Quchan, a historic city near Iran’s border with Turkmenistan, is known for its deep-rooted Islamic traditions, poetry, and fine arts. The region has long been a center for Quranic studies and manuscript art, where generations of calligraphers have copied the holy text by hand—an act regarded as both a devotional practice and a form of preserving divine beauty.

Across the Muslim world, handwritten Qurans have been revered for centuries. In Iran, this tradition blends spiritual reverence with artistic mastery, often involving elaborate scripts, gold illumination, and floral motifs inspired by Persian art.

Officials at the ceremony pointed to the importance of safeguarding such cultural treasures as part of Iran’s rich Quranic heritage and national identity.

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