A 13th century Koran was sold on Tuesday for a world record price of 1,140,500 pounds (2,320,917 dollars, 1,632,055 euros), auction house Christie’s said.

The Koran which fetched more than four times its pre-sale estimate of 250,000 pounds, was sold as part of an auction of art from the Islamic and Indian World that brought in a total of 5.9 million pounds.

Dated 1203 AD and written entirely in gold, with marginal notes in silver, it is the earliest known complete, dated Koran, written in gold in the world, and broke the record for a Koran, and the record for any Islamic manuscript, sold at auction.

Also sold on Tuesday was a nearly complete 10th century Kufic Koran, which is thought to originate from North Africa or the Middle East, which fetched 916,500 pounds, compared to its pre-sale estimate of up to 600,000 pounds.

“Today’s extraordinary sale total is one of the highest ever for Islamic Art at Christie’s, reflecting the depth of demand and very strong prices realized throughout the field of classical Islamic Art,” said William Robinson, director of Islamic Art and Carpets and Head of sale at Christie’s.

Share This Article by Email or Social Web

Posted: 10|24|07 at 9:55 am. Filed under: Auction News.