This Qur’an is interesting as it contains inscriptions which record the birth dates of an Ottoman family. The first inscription records the birth of Mehmed Said Bey, the son of Kavali Mehmed Ali Pasha (1769-1848), an Ottoman Governor of Egypt. It was a tradition among Ottoman Turkish families to leave a Qur’an by the side of a cradle for the baby’s protection. For some wealthy families, a new Qur’an is often commissioned for this purpose. This family, however, decided to use a treasured Qur’an from the 17th century to record the various births in the family up until the early 20th century.
