Qur'ans of the Maghreb or the Islamic west, including North Africa and Spain, diverged at an early date from the stream of developments further east. The preservation of a number of archaic calligraphic features derived from kufic and the use of parchment are typical of the region during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Despite these archaizing features, the use of gold ink, the exaggerated curves of the letters below the baseline, and colorful diacritic marks lend the composition a striking rhythmic quality.
