Samarkand Kufic Quran

The Samarkand Kufic Quran (also known as the Uthman Quran, Samarkand codex, Samarkand manuscript and Tashkent Quran) is an 8th or 9th century manuscript Quran written in the territory of modern Iraq in the Kufic script. Today it is kept in the Hast Imam library, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In local Uzbek tradition, it is said to have belonged to the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan.

Dating the Manuscript

Based on orthographic and palaeographic studies, the manuscript probably dates the 8th or 9th century. Radio-carbon dating showed a 95.4% probability of a date between 595 and 855.

History

The copy of the Quran is traditionally considered to be one of a group commissioned by the third caliph Uthman; however, this attribution has been questioned, although no evidence was proffered. In 651, 19 years after the death of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad, Uthman commissioned a committee to produce a standard copy of the text of the Quran (see Origin and development of the Quran). Five of these authoritative Qurans were sent to the major Muslim cities of the era, and Uthman kept one for his own use in Medina, although the Samarkand Quran is most likely not one of those copies. The only other surviving copy was thought to be the one held in Topkapı Palace in Turkey, but studies have shown that the Topkapı manuscript is also not from the 7th century, but from much later.

Qur

Qur is a settlement in Ras al-Khaimah.

Queensland University Regiment

Queensland University Regiment (QUR) is a training unit of the Australian Army Reserve. Based in Queensland, the regiment is currently assigned to the 11th Brigade. The regiment's history can be traced back to 1932 when the University Rifles was formed. During World War II, the regiment's predecessor unit did not serve overseas, but many of its personnel were deployed as part of the 7th Brigade or within units of the Second Australian Imperial Force. After the war, the regiment was formed under its current designation. Since then, its size has fluctuated as its role has changed. Currently, it is responsible for providing training for Reserve officer cadets, officers and soldiers.

Role and organisation

The regiment is headquartered at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus in Brisbane. Staffed by a cadre of Regular Army pesonnel, it is tasked with training officers and soldiers of the Army Reserve and currently provides pre-appointment training for officer cadets for 11th Brigade units, as well as promotion courses for all Reserve officers up to the rank of major. The regiment also provides driver training, and response force and high readiness courses for 11th Brigade soldiers.