Two leaves from a Koran written in Maghribi

Maghribi is a rather tortuous and decorative variant of Kufi that was used first and foremost in North Africa (the Maghreb) and Muslim Spain. It is often ornamented with diacritical marks in red, green, blue, or yellow, and with gold, as here. The Koran from which these non-continuous leaves were taken is further distinguished by its high-quality, pink-tinted paper.

It is difficult to date and determine the precise geographical origins of Korans from the Maghreb because of the copyists’ conservatism. Most scholars have, however, attributed “The Pink Koran” to Spain, and most have suggested a slightly earlier date than the one estimated here.