Quran case
Let's take a closer look at the elegantly designed Quran case from the museum's Textile, Clothing, Embroidery collection.
A notable handicraft in the traditional lives of Azerbaijanis was a case in which to keep the Holy Book, the Quran. A copy of the Quran was in every house. Everyone tried to keep it as far away from the ground as possible, higher than any other objects in the house so that the Holy Book would be “above all that is earthly.” For this purpose, some houses had special small niches placed at a high altitude from the floor specifically for the storage of the Quran.
This Quran case of green kanaus with a scarlet satin lining is characterized by a discreet, but no less elegant ornament. The surface of the dark green fabric is divided by a gold seam on the rhombi, each of which has a gold embroidered circle inside. These circles are connected by the ornament’s small curved elements along the valve’s edge and lower part, and the metallic thread’s tint in these fragments is slightly different, giving the color some variety.
Quran case. Baku, Azerbaijan. Late 19th century. Satin, kanaus. Gold embroidery. Inv. No. 4013
