offset lithographic editions

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Qur'ans were originally penned by calligraphers (primarily in Kano) and then reproduced using offset lithography starting in the 1950s (p. 288). This allowed the 'age of manuscript to continue under the guise of print' (p. 288). The aesthetics remained 'flamboyant' and rooted in local calligraphic traditions despite the modern economy of the book market (p. 288).

Evidence

"The script family of the Lake Chad region displayed by the Nigerian Qur’ans should thus, in our opinion, be labelled as ‘Central Sudanic’, and its two main stylistic variants respectively as the barnāwī and kanawī styles."

Remarks

The study identifies regional sub-types of the Arabic script used in Northern Nigerian manuscripts, specifically the 'Central Sudanic' group (p. 291). Two stylistic variants are noted: the more conservative barnāwī style (Borno) and the more innovative kanawī style (Kano) (p. 291). These scripts are argued to be relatively independent of the rest of the Sahel region (p. 291).