Manuskrip al-Qur'an Masjid Padang Air yields gold-trimmed 250-year-old note
A handwritten marginalia hidden inside a 1730-1869 Terengganu Qur'an manuscript at Masjid Padang Air, Kuala Nerus, offers fresh clues to a possible Riau–Lingga provenance.
Source: Akademi Jawi Malaysia · July 29, 2026 at 11:59 PM · AI-assisted report
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 JULY 2026 —
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A handwritten marginalia hidden inside a 1730-1869 Terengganu Qur'an manuscript at Masjid Padang Air, Kuala Nerus, offers fresh clues to a possible Riau–Lingga provenance.
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The brittle manuscript, bound in re-used East Coast leather, shows acid-bleed damage, missing spine and loose folios. Researchers found a single sheet tucked inside the front cover bearing a single line of Malay in fine nasakh script.
The gold-trimmed volume, estimated at 24-carat gold leaf on Javanese paper marked “Propatria” and “C & I Honig,” is now undergoing urgent conservation with Terengganu State Museum after a June 16 inspection.
Conservators warn that without stabilisation the central folios—already perforated by metallic ink—will degrade further.
The note’s script resembles that of a 19th-century Terengganu court manuscript held by the state museum, according to the researcher who discovered it. External decoration featuring layered foliage and a mountain motif also echoes collections from Mount Daik and Penyengat Island examined in 2023.
British Library’s Head of Southeast Asia Curator, Datuk Dr. Annabel Teh Gallop, independently confirmed the stylistic links to Riau–Lingga Qur’ans.
The mosque has yet to decide on digitisation, a step the researcher says is critical to preserve both the text and its artistic context for future scholars.