ABSTRACT
Illuminated manuscripts serve as icons for the study of Western European culture from the middle ages to the Renaissance. Since learning in that era typically was associated with the Church, the most common examples are religious in nature, such as Books of Hours and liturgical texts. Similarly the Islamic world has yielded exquisite religious manuscripts, particularly calligraphic copies of the Qur’an and its commentaries, although that culture also has a strong tradition of secular poetry.
