A Rare Signature of an Architect on a Holy Quarter of the 13 AH / 19 AD Century “An Artistic Archaeological Study” (published for the first time)

This study comes to reveal the role of architects in the endowment of the Holy Qur’an during the nineteenth century AD, through two noble quarters that have not been previously published or studied. These two quarters are of great historical and archaeological value, as they included two signatures of one of the architects during the era of the Alawiyya dynasty. Their significance lies in the fact that they add an interpretation for one of these engineers, who was neglected by the historical and archaeological sources. In addition, these two quadrants were stamped with a personal seal of the architect - the owner of the signature of the study - inscribed with the six pointed star polygon in a period of time in which the aforementioned ornament was rarely used, which will be clarified by studying and analyzing later.

Research problem:

The research problem is summarized in answering the following questions: Did the title "architect" appear on antiquities, documents and manuscripts in Egypt before the era of the Alawite dynasty? What is the financial situation enjoyed by these engineers during the period of study? Did the sect of architects participate in endowing and copying the Holy Qur’ans during the era of the Muhammad Ali family? Was the six-pointed star widely used in Egypt during the second half of the nineteenth century AD?

Search goal:

This research aims to identify the types of signatures in the manuscripts of the Holy Qur’ans during the study period, as well as to identify the most famous types of seals during the Ottoman era. The scarcity of the use of the six-pointed star in the decoration of seals printed on manuscripts during the century (13 AH / 19 AD), in application of the personal seal printed on the two holy quarters, the subject of the study.

research importance:

- Published two honorable quarters, and studied them for the first time.

Highlighting the role of the architect in endowing the Holy Qur’an and copying it during the second half of the nineteenth century AD, applying the signature of the study.