Koran8vo, cloth-backed leather with wrap-around cloth cover; handwritten in Arabic, ruled in...

Koran

8vo, cloth-backed leather with wrap-around cloth cover; handwritten in Arabic, ruled in red and rubricated.

19th-century Koran with pencil note laid down on final leaf signed Arundel Begbie, Indian Army Lt.-Colonel and editor of the Indianman, a London weekly review of Indian affairs. This note records that the Koran was found in the village of the "Mad Mullah" during the Indian Frontier war of 1897-98. The note continues that the writing was likely done by a man who could not read a word of the Arabic, and who copied it letter by letter. Begbie, perhaps a touch dismissively, notes "to such lengths will these Muhammadens go in their religious zeal". Evidently the last page (which would have revealed the date of writing) has been lost and was replaced by that of another writer.

In 1897 a succession of tribal uprisings occurred around the North-West Frontier - the area between modern Pakistan and Afghanistan, containing the infamous Khyber Pass. This uprising started in the Swat Valley under the guidance of a holy man who was referred to by the British forces as the 'Mad Mullah'. He claimed the British were aiming to spread Christianity to the tribes and that they had already lost Aden and the Suez (and thus could not reinforce their troops). Although the British responded quickly, they lost large amounts of territory - including the Pass. In order to restore British Imperial prestige, they dispatched the Tirah Expedition under Lt-General Sir William Lockhart. After a brutal and gruelling campaign, the two sides reached a negotiated settlement, which was not seen entirely as a success. Victoria herself questioned the value of the expedition: 'As we did not wish to retain any part of the country, is the continuation and indefinite prolongation of these punitive expeditions really justifiable at the cost of many valuable lives?' This Koran then, would likely hail from the Swat

Sold for £170
Estimated at £80 - £120

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Cloth wraps and binding worn, pages toned with variable foxing and spotting, small area of worming to lower margin, occasional tear, else very good.

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Auction: Books, Maps & Ephemera, 7th Jun, 2019

Books, Maps & Ephemera

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