Turkey Seeks Return of 16th-Century Quran from London

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Turkey’s ministry of culture and tourism launched a legal process to stop the sale of a 16th-century copy of the Quran penned by the son of an Ottoman calligraphy master.

The copy of the Holy Book will be put up for auction by Christie's on Oct. 26 for 120,000 pounds.

Turkish authorities say it was likely smuggled from Turkey, the Daily Sabah reported.

The Turkish foreign ministry contacted the auction company and asked them to suspend the sale. Christie's officials are yet to respond to the request.

The Quran, signed by Mustafa Dede, the son of great calligrapher Sheikh Hamdullah, is largely intact as its photos on Christie's website shows.

Sheikh Hamdullah (1436-1520) was the founder of the Ottoman school of Islamic calligraphy.

He refined the six standard scripts, and was held in high esteem for his writing in the naskh and thuluth scripts.