Framed Calligraphic Panel - al-Fatiha Leaf from the Shah Tahmasp Quran

Beautifully illuminated in lapis blue and gold, this beautiful Quran is written in muhaqqaq and naskh scripts, with incidentals in thulth. It is a royal commission most likely for Shah Tahmaspthe. This opening text spread of this particular folio contains the seven verses of Surah al-Fatiha (The Opening) which rests in the center of the panel under the chapter name. It translates to: ۝ In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. ۝ Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, ۝ the Compassionate, the Merciful, ۝ Master of the Day of Judgment. ۝ Thee we worship and from Thee we seek help. ۝ Guide us upon the straight path, ۝ the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those who incur wrath, nor of those who are astray. The Fatiha has been given the title Umm al-kitab, “Mother of the Book” and “The Mother of the Quran”, a reference to its containing the meaning of the entire Quran. Other titles are “The Seven Oft- Repeated” (al-saba al-mathani); “The Cure” (al- Shifa), because it