'A Quran by the city of Birmingham': Muslims and non-Muslims invited to create new Quran manuscript

Muslims and non-Muslims are invited to try their hand at calligraphy and help to create a new Quran.

People in Birmingham are being invited to create a new Quran manuscript as part of a project exploring the city's connection to the Islamic holy book.

Muslims and non-Muslims will have the chance to copy and transcribe some of the 6,000 verses onto special calligraphy paper.

Birmingham is home to the famous Birmingham Quran manuscript, one of the earliest manuscripts of the book which can be found at the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham.

As part of the project, which has been created by Museum of Islamic Arts & Heritage (MIAH) Foundation and Culture Forward, workshops will take place at MIAH Foundation's Islamic Arts Gallery in Balsall Heath.

Attendees will be able to learn about the many different types of Arabic calligraphy featured in Quran manuscripts over the centuries through an exhibition on the history of the book and the art of calligraphy.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to transcribe Quran verses onto traditional multicoloured hand-finished calligraphy paper from Pakistan, to form the new Birmingham Quran manuscript.

Some of the inks and pigments used will be sourced from the Winterbourne House & Gardens and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

After transcription the book will be hand-bound and stitched using traditional techniques and local materials.

Dr Neelam Hussain, Director of the MIAH Foundation and Curator of Middle Eastern Manuscripts at the Cadbury Research Library, said: "It will be a Quran by the city of Birmingham and from the people of Birmingham.

"The tradition of copying the Quran has been there since revelation. There have been Quran manuscripts across China and Sub-Saharan Africa for example over 7-20th century, so we are keeping the handwritten tradition alive.

"Now it is Birmingham in the 21st century, so we are asking everyone from Muslims to non-Muslims to participate and continue this tradition copying with the rest of Birmingham."

'Something one of a kind'

Professor Sara Jones, Interim Academic Director of Culture Forward, said: "Culture Forward aims to increase engagement with our rare and precious cultural collections, such as the Birmingham Quran.

"This project is a big part of our Quran in the City programme, and provides people across Birmingham an opportunity to create something one of a kind for the city to treasure."

The project began during Ramadan and comes to an end on 1 June. The MIAH Islamic Arts Gallery is holding regular workshops every Saturday 12-2pm in Balsall Heath, for those aged 11+.

The exhibition is open on Thursdays and Fridays 12pm-6pm and Saturdays 2pm-6pm.

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