gold and colours, blue or black, red

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

In deluxe Qur’ans such as the Sultan Baybars copy (p. 222), the text was executed in multiple scripts and richly decorated in gold and colours. Main letter shapes could be executed in gold, with the outlines and vocalization markers (like the superscript alif of prolongation) added in contrasting colours such as red, blue, or black.

Evidence

"The text of this Qur’an is executed in four scripts: muhaqqaq, rayhan, naskh, and thuluth. ... outlines (outlining) and vocalization were often done in a colour different from the colour of the main letter shape (often in blue or black if the main script was in gold). In many extant copies we encounter the writing of the superscript alif of prolongation in red"

Remarks

The Sultan Baybars Qur’an was calligraphed by Ibn al-Wahid in 705/1305–6 (p. 222). The text notes that these lavish copies continued the tradition of early Abbasid Qur'ans in being richly decorated with gold and pigments.