Smithsonian to host 1st major US Quran exhibition

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Quran, revered by Muslims, is the centerpiece of a first-of-its-kind exhibition in the United States as the Smithsonian displays exquisitely decorated manuscripts from one of the top Quran collections.

The Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery announced today that "The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts" will bring 48 manuscripts and folios from the museum in Istanbul together with manuscripts from the collection of the Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art, which are together the Smithsonian's museum of Asian art.

The exhibition is set to open Oct. 15, just weeks before the presidential election, through Feb. 20, 2017. Islam and the Quran may come up during debates and discussions, but Massumeh Farhad, chief curator at the Sackler and Freer and curator of Islamic art, says this exhibition is a chance to present a different story. She calls it an opportunity to "focus on the importance of this as a work of art and importance in art history.

The Arabic text of the Quran was fixed as early as the late 7th century, Farhad said, but the variety in Qurans is "staggering."

The exhibition will showcase different styles of calligraphy and illumination. Visitors will be able to compare different Qurans and "see the sweep of history in front of us," said Sheila Blair, an art history professor who specializes in Islamic art at Boston College and Virginia Commonwealth University. "It shows how diverse the Muslim world is."