RADIOCARBON DATING OF MANUSCRIPTS KEPT IN THE CENTRAL LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEHRAN

This article discusses radiocarbon dating results of documents preserved at the Central Library of the University of Tehran (hereafter, CLUT) as part of the project "Irankoran." The paper adds new evidence to an ongoing campaign of dating Qur'ans and Oriental manuscripts by the Corpus Coranicum Project. The dated manuscripts include one kufi fragment of the Qur'an on parchment (no. 10950) and a selection of Islamic and Persian manuscripts, all from the second millennium: the Arabic dictionary Mugmal al-Lugah (Meskat no. 203), the medical encyclopedia Dahirah-ye Kh(w)arazmsahi (no. 5156), the epic Pang Gang of Nezami (no. 5179), the book of wisdom Adab al-Falasifah (no. 2165) attributed to Hunayn b. Ishaq (d. 873 CE), and one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Avesta Widewdad (no. 11263). Although the authenticity of their colophons is disputed, radiocarbon dating supports the dates of the colophons; even in cases where they were suspected of being tampered with, they most likely present the accurate original dates of the corresponding manuscripts. Only in the case of Adab al-Falasifah (no. 2165), radiocarbon dating of the parchment has identified the manuscript as non-authentic. Inconsistent carbon dating results of two samples taken from Dahirah-ye Khwarazmsahi (no. 5156) and Pang Gang (no. 5179) provide evidence of later replaced/added leaves.