"Ink and Gold is a catalogue of over forty pieces of Islamic calligraphy and illumination, covering a period of some 1200 years and representing the calligraphic traditions of an area stretching from Morocco to Central Asia. Pride of place has been given to the Qur'an as the most widely copied text in the Islamic world and as the inspiration for many of the masterpieces of Islamic calligraphy. The catalogue also includes examples of royal decrees, calligraphic albums and Persian poetry, showing the huge diversity of calligraphic traditions in the Islamic world. Ink and Gold has been produced to accompany an exhibition at the Museum fur Islamische Kunst, Berlin."--BOOK JACKET