Allah is beautiful and loves beauty, reflected in His creation

Founded in 1818 at the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg, the Asiatic Museum (now the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the RAS) holds the largest collection of Oriental manuscripts in Russia — more than 100,000 items. Among them is one of the oldest and most complete manuscripts of the Quran, known as the Uthman Quran. According to Muslim tradition, this codex goes back to the recension prepared by order of Caliph Uthman. Radiocarbon analysis dates it to no later than the 8th century, and paleographic analysis points to its Arabian origin. Orientalists consider it one of the earliest copies of the Quran.

In 2006, at the Moscow Mint of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, using a unique technology, the world’s one and only absolute copy of the most ancient Islamic manuscript of the 8th century — the Uthman Quran — was created. The production of the golden copy required one and a half years. The work consists of 162 plates made of the highest-grade 999 fine gold.

The bloodstains of the Righteous Caliph Uthman are also reproduced on the golden leaves of the copy. The original manuscript from which this copy was made is stored at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg and is the most complete version to have survived to our day. Individual leaves of similar manuscripts are represented only fragmentarily in museums in London, Istanbul, Cairo, and Medina.

The ‘Golden Quran’ was first presented to the general public in 2007 at the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow and received the highest assessment from leading world specialists in the fields of culture and art.

This work of art, which has no parallels in the world, is a sign of respect for all peoples who profess Islam. Its unique aesthetic solution allows it to exist outside of time, without violating the fundamental principles of the Islamic tradition. This is a value not only for Muslims, but for all of humanity.

M.B. Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage

The highest technology and complete correspondence to the spiritual source make this work one of the symbols of 21st-century art and a worldwide cultural heritage.

I.A. Antonova, Director of the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

In 2020, the Golden Copy of the Uthman Quran and the original manuscript were submitted for verification to the Al-Azhar Academy — one of the world’s oldest universities and the most prestigious Muslim theological university, located in Cairo — to check for any inaccuracies compared to the original. The verification process took more than six months. The original response from the Academy is enclosed.