A late eighteenth-century miniature Qu'ran scroll from southern India.

The Qu'ran is the sacred text of Islam. According to Muslim belief the physical written word of the Qu'ran contains barakat (blessing). This copy of the Qu'ran text is written in a tiny Arabic script called ghubar (meaning ‘dust’) on a long, thin scroll of gold-flecked paper. The tiny words are arranged so that as the scroll is rolled the text forms the larger shape of the talismanic Throne Verse from Surah al-Baqarah (Qu'ran 2:255), as well as roses and geometric patterns. The Throne Verse is considered particularly powerful in imparting spiritual and physical protection when recited.

The styles of this Qu'ran scroll and its carved sandalwood case are associated with the Carnatic region of South India. The scroll is recorded in a memorandum dated 1828 in an inventory of the Buckingham House Library suggesting it was acquired by George III (‘Arabic MS. The Koran. a Roll. in a small Box.' RCIN 1155585, p.72). Both George III and George IV exchanged letters and gifts with the rulers of the Carnatic region and received gifts from East India Company officers stationed there.