World's Largest Handmade Quran | |
Material: | Cloth, paper, leather (from 21 goats), gold script, and colorful decoration |
Size: | Over 7 feet tall, 5 feet wide |
Weight: | 1,102 pounds |
Created: | September 2004 - September 2009 |
Location: | Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center, Kabul, Afghanistan |
Culture: | Islamic, Afghan |
The world's largest handmade Quran was unveiled in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2012. It was crafted by Afghan calligrapher Mohammed Sabeer Khedri Hussani and his team.
The largest Quran was produced over a five-year period by Afghan calligrapher Mohammed Sabeer Khedri Hussani and his team of nine student apprentices. The Quran stands over seven feet tall and five feet wide, with a total weight of 1,102 pounds. It comprises 218 pages, all of which are bound in an embossed leather cover made from the hides of 21 goats. The project emoloys the art of Quranic calligraphy and Islamic decoration. [1]
The project, sponsored by the Afghan Ismaili leader Sayed Mansur Naderi, aimed to manifest Afghanistan's cultural heritage and Islamic scholarship. Initiated in September 2004 and completed in September 2009, the unveiling took place in January 2012, amid ceremonies attended by government officials, religious leaders, and the public.[2] According to Arabian Business, Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, the sponsor's daughter, also had a leading role in the project, particularly in the renovation of the library that houses the Quran.[3]
The placement of the Quran in the Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center is part of a wider initiative to safeguard and promote Afghan culture.[1]