Historic Printed Quran Presented to Uzbekistan

IQNA – One of the earliest printed copies of the Quran, dating back more than two centuries, has been presented to Uzbekistan during an international forum in Tashkent.

The handover took place at the forum “The Great Heritage of the Past — Foundation of an Enlightened Future,” held in the Uzbek capital, according to the Russian publishing house Madina, Zamin reported on Monday.

The Quran was presented to the Center for Islamic Civilization in Tashkent by Ilyas Saduriy, head of Madina Publishing. Among the donated works, the copy printed in St. Petersburg in 1787 during the reign of Russian Empress Catherine II drew particular attention.

Experts say the 1787 edition is considered one of the earliest printed Qurans in the Islamic world. It was produced using a specially designed metal typeface, with ornamentation by Tatar calligrapher Usman Ismail.

Historical accounts indicate that approximately 1,200 copies were printed — a significant number for that period. Scholars regard the edition as an important milestone in the early history of Islamic printing, representing one of the first efforts to reproduce the Quran using movable type in Russia.

The 18th-century publication helped lay the foundations for later Islamic printing centers, particularly in the city of Kazan, which became a major hub for religious publishing in the 19th century.

Source: Agencies