Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) London hosted a riveting talk as part of their "Arts & Culture Lecture" series with professor Cazim Hadzimejlic on his prominent book "40 Bosnian and Herzegovinian Mushafs."

Moderated by the art consultant and marbling artist Dilara Karaağaç, Cazim Hadzimejlic delved into the history of lavishly decorated Quran manuscripts and talked about the rich beauty of this cultural heritage. The talk showcased centuries-old mushafs, handwritten copies of the Islamic holy book, the Quran, and several other printed versions.

Giving the audience highlights from his book, Hadzimejlic briefly touched on how the written words have always had a special place in Islam and how the Glorious Book, the Quran, has always been an endless source of inspiration for artists. Touching on this point, he mentioned that the art of decorating the mushaf – Quran manuscripts arose from a love for God’s word, and examples of it can be found all over the world, that is, wherever Islamic culture and civilization have spread.

Hadzimejlic also gave examples of the beautifully decorated mushafs housed by numerous institutions, libraries and museums worldwide. He mentioned that Bosnia-Herzegovina inherited the tradition of copying and decorating the mushafs, testified by manuscripts in domestic and foreign collections. Mushaf, as a book, has a central place in the Islamic civilization and is considered the best representative of the book arts.

As mentioned by Hadzimejlic, this book presents the preserved treasure, the art of decorating the mushaf, through the most beautiful mushafs in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The 40 mushafs represented in this unique monograph are selected due to detailed work and based on their cultural, historical and artistic values. Furthermore, each manuscript has been carefully processed aesthetically, codicologically and palaeographically.

This bilingual monograph, in Bosnian and English, has been substantiated by rich literature, first-class sources and numerous photographs to introduce the masterpieces of the arts of the book in the Islamic world to its readers. The book, which is the result of many years of dedicated work and research and includes both public and private collections, brings vital work to light.