ISTANBUL: Iraqi calligrapher Ali Zaman gazes with pride at his masterpiece — a colossal, handwritten manuscript of the Holy Qur’an that has taken six years of craft and devotion to complete.
The finished work consists of 302 double-sided scrolls, each measuring 4 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width. The sheets, resembling heavy parchment, were custom-made for Zaman with a blend of traditional materials including eggs, cornstarch, and alum.
“Anytime I think of this Qur’an … it gives me a very nice feeling that the mighty God gave me the life to be able to finish this thing and complete it. I feel very proud,” the 54-year-old said at a mosque in Istanbul where the manuscript is kept.
The art of calligraphy was very attractive to me … I felt that I could find my soul in it.
Ali Zaman, Iraqi calligrapher
