RELIGION

Smithsonian to host 1st major US Quran exhibition

Associated Press
Published | Updated

This image provided by the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey shows, Qur'an, a gold, color, and ink on paper from the early 14th century, part of an exhibit: The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, from Oct. 15, 2016 to Feb. 20, 2017, at the Freer Sackler in Washington. (Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey via AP) (The Associated Press)

This image provided by the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey shows "Qur’an folio," an ink, gold, and color on parchment from the 10th century, part of an exhibit: The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, from Oct. 15, 2016 to Feb. 20, 2017, at the Freer Sackler in Washington. (Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey via AP) (The Associated Press)

This image provided by the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey shows "Qur’an," an Ink, color, and gold on paper from the Iran, Shiraz, Safavid period, ca. 1580, part of an exhibit: The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, from Oct. 15, 2016 to Feb. 20, 2017, at the Freer Sackler in Washington. (Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey via AP) (The Associated Press)

The Quran, revered by Muslims, is the centerpiece of a first-of-its-kind exhibition in the United States as the Smithsonian displays exquisitely decorated manuscripts from one of the top Quran collections.

The Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery announced Tuesday that "The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts" will bring 48 manuscripts and folios from the museum in Istanbul together with manuscripts from the collection of the Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art, which are together the Smithsonian's museum of Asian art.

The exhibition is set to open Oct. 15, just weeks before the presidential election, through Feb. 20, 2017. Islam and the Quran may come up during debates and discussions, but Massumeh Farhad, chief curator at the Sackler and Freer and curator of Islamic art, says this exhibition is a chance to present a different story.