KARACHI, Oct 17: The National Museum of Pakistan has put on display a 500-year-old copy of the Quran for the month of Ramazan, says a press release.

It adds that this copy of the Quran has been written in archaic Naskh. "Of all the scripts employed by those who transcribed the Quran, Naskh has been the most popular. Rounded scripts were available from the first Hijra but it took some time before it gained acceptance. Naskh is basically used for books especially for copies of the Holy Quran. It is written in a straight line from right to left," says the press release.

It says: "The present copy of the Holy Quran is transcribed by Ali B. Sultan (1605), the famous theologian and author of many religious works. He used to write one beautiful copy of the Holy Quran every year, sell it, and then live on for the next year.

The text of the copy is within gold and other semi precious stones, colours. The first folio is superbly illuminated. The headings of the Surah are transcribed in the gold at the beginning of each Surah, there is a mentioning of place of Surahs and the numbers of verses. The copy is bound in leather, dated 791 AH."