The Islamic holy book, which had been expected to only fetch between £250,000 and £300,000, was sold as part of an auction of art from the Islamic and Indian World that brought in a total of £5.9 million.

 

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

 

Also sold was a nearly complete 10th century Kufic Qur’an, which is thought to originate from North Africa or the Middle East, which fetched £916,500, compared to its pre-sale estimate of up to £600,000.“The 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.