Summary
This lecture will deal with the dramatic changes that the Qur’anic codex underwent during the Umayyad period (660–750 C.E.), on the basis of a selection of mostly unpublished manuscript materials.
In Qur’ans of the UmayyadsFirst major ruling Muslim dynasty that was based in Damascus (661-750).: A First Overview (2013), François Déroche offers a chronology of the various developments which characterise the period, following an approach that combines philology,historiography, codicology, palaeography and art history. Déroche’s conclusions challenge traditional accounts about the writing down of the Qur’an(also Koran. Arabic term meaning, ‘recitation’ or ‘scripture’): Muslims believe that the Holy Qur’an contains divine revelations to the Prophet Muhammed received in Mecca and Medina over a period of… Moreand shed new light on the role of the Umayyads in the Qur’an’s handwritten diffusion.
*This lecture is based on the publication of the same title.
Speaker
François Déroche
Professor
Professor François Déroche is an academic and specialist in Codicology and Palaeography. He is a Professor at the Collège de France (École pratique des hautes études, Paris)where he is holding “History of the Quran Text and Transmission” Chair.
