TEHRAN – Inscribing a large copy of the Holy Quran by Iranian calligrapher Ali-Akbar Esmaeili Quchani has been completed.

The calligrapher began the project in 2008 with a team of 30 female artists who have worked on the illumination of the Holy Book, Persian media reported on Monday.

The calligraphy has been inscribed by Esmaeili and the entire Quran has been inscribed on 650 pages, the size of each is 250x175 centimeters.

Each surah (chapter) of this copy of the Holy Quran has its own unique calligraphy of bismillah, Esmaieli said, adding that a variety of 114 samples of bismillah have been used in the inscription of the Holy Book.

The Quran is divided into 30 sections each of which is called a joz, and in this copy, each joz has been inscribed on 20 pages and each joz enjoys its own specific illuminations, Esmaieli said.

He also said that about 10 billion rials (over $300,000) gold has been used in the illumination of the Quran.

According to Esmaeili, the hand-made sheets of paper, which he made himself, used in this book are washable and the colors are fixed.

Photo: Calligrapher Ali-Akbar Esmaeili Quchani shows a page from the large copy of the Holy Quran at his home in Mashhad on January 22, 2014. (Tasnim/Nima Najafzadeh)

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