Makkah, 21 Sha'ban 1447 AH (9 February 2026)

The Holy Quran Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is displaying a rare folio of the "Blue Quran", containing verses of Surat Al Baqarah from the end of verse 37 to the beginning of verse 42, a step highlighting the richness of the Islamic Quranic heritage and spotlighting the artistic and historical dimension of writing the Quran across the ages.

The Blue Quran is one of the rarest and most magnificent manuscript Qurans in the history of Islamic civilization, written in pure gold in ancient Kufic script on a deep blue ground, in a unique artistic style reflecting the early Muslims' care for the beauty of Quranic calligraphy and their reverence for the Quranic text.

The manuscript dates to the third century AH, the ninth century CE, giving it great historical and scientific value as living evidence of the development of Arabic calligraphy and ornamentation in the early Islamic eras, in addition to the rarity of its surviving copies, whose pages are today spread among a limited number of museums and collections worldwide.

The display of this rare folio is part of the Holy Quran Museum's efforts to introduce visitors to the history of the Quran and its artistic stages and to give them the chance to see exceptional examples of Quranic manuscripts, raising cultural and knowledge awareness and enriching the experience of visitors to the Hira Cultural District from inside and outside the Kingdom.

The Holy Quran Museum at the Hira Cultural District is one of Makkah's prominent cultural and knowledge landmarks, highlighting the history of the Quran and its journey since the descent of revelation, with rare manuscripts and historical copies of the Quran along with interactive displays and modern technology reflecting Muslims' care for the Quran across the ages, at a site tied to the beginnings of the Islamic message.

At a Glance

  • Location: Holy Quran Museum, Hira Cultural District, Makkah
  • On display: a rare folio of the Blue Quran
  • Period: third century AH (ninth century CE)
  • Script: ancient Kufic
  • Medium: gold on a deep blue ground