Early Qur’āns of Jean‑Joseph Marcel. I: Collector and His Collection

Abstract

French orientalist and printer Jean-Joseph Marcel (1776—1854) acquired a huge number of manucscripts and other artifacts during his stay in Alexandria and Cairo as a member of the Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt. The collections of Marcel were dispersed after his death, and only early Qur’an fragments survive as a single body, having been bought in 1864 by the Imperial Public Library (the National Library of Russia of today). Present article focuses on the biography and publishing activity of J.-J. Marcel as well as on the history of his collection, which consist of 130 items of the 7th—12th centuries and one of the 14th century.