A satchel for a scholar

Commentary
A satchel for a scholar
Accession number: 
MS. Arab. d. 141
Collection: 
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

This manuscript Qur’ān from northern Nigeria, with its pages completely unbound, dates from the second half of the nineteenth century. The elaborately worked satchel, in supple multi-coloured leathers with a flap and braided strap, provided its only protection and allowed it to be carried by a scholar. Unsewn books remain a tradition for some sub-Saharan Islamic manuscripts, and they continue to be made with their protective satchels to this day. 

Dimensions
Satchel: 225 x 300 x 110 mm (the strap extends 500 mm)
Manuscript: 242 x 182 x 88 mm

Weight
Satchel and manuscript: 1.719 kg
Satchel: 245 g

Donated by F. W. Taylor, 1927