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The ARC Group has made some truly amazing books for important people and institutions like the Vatican, the Orthodox Church of Moscow, and the Library of the President of Russia. Their latest creation is an exquisitely crafted Quran, commissioned by former Tatarstan president and state advisor Mintimir Saymivey, who is also the head of the Tatarstan Historical Artifacts Rejuvenation Foundation.
Weighing 1,763 pounds (800 kilograms), this is the largest Quran in the world: it measures 1.5 m by 2 m (approx. 5 by 6.5 ft) when closed, and 3 m by 2 m (10 by 6.5 ft) when opened. The frame cover alone weighs 264 pounds, and is adorned with silver, gold, and numerous semi-precious stones, including a turquoise that measures 14 cm (5.5 in) in diameter.
The Quran is worth approximately $1.3 million and it can be found in the Kazan’s Qol Sharif mosque, on the first floor. The giant book will remain here until June 2012, when it will be carefully transported to Bolgar, the ancient capital of the Volga Tatars, the people who used to live on the present territory of Tatarstan, and who converted to Islam in 922.
