EDITIONS OF THE TASHKENT ʿUTHMĀN MUṢḤAF: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Abstract

The “Tashkent ʿUthmān Muṣḥaf” is an ancient Qur’anic manuscript displayed as the principal exhibit in the Qur’an Hall of the Center of Islamic Civilization, established in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Since the muṣḥaf had been preserved in Samarkand for several centuries and became widely known after it was transferred from Samarkand to St. Petersburg in 1869, it was also commonly referred to as the “Samarkand Qur’an” in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.While the muṣḥaf was kept in Samarkand, it remained largely unknown to the wider public. However, following its transfer to St. Petersburg, articles about the manuscript began to appear, and efforts were undertaken to produce reproductions of it. Some editions were prepared by prominent scholars and researchers, while others involved individuals who lacked sufficient scholarly expertise. For example, in 1895, a single folio from Sūrat al-Aʿrāf was reproduced in 2,000 copies and sold in Muslim countries. It is evident that this undertaking was commercially motivated.