World's biggest Koran (Photos added)

The completion of the world's largest Koran was hailed as a major achievement for the Afghanistan when it was officially unveiled in the nation's capital.

Measuring more than 7ft long and 10ft wide, the text's 218 pages are decorated in 30 different calligraphy designs and took almost five years to finish.

Its inauguration ceremony was held yesterday in front of key religious figures, clerics, scholars and government officials to coincide with the opening of Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center and arts exhibition in Kabul.

Epic achievement: Mohammad Saber Yaqoti Hussaini Khedri, the calligrapher behind the world's biggest copy of the Koran, turns a page at yesterday's inauguration ceremony in the Afghan capital Kabul

Painstaking: The holy book has been inscribed with 30 different calligraphy designs for each of its parts. The work took nearly five years to complete.

The project was inspired and sponsored by His Excellency Alhaj Syed Mansoor Naderi, a well-known religious personality and leader of the Shia Ismailies in Afghanistan, it was reported on Khaama Press.

Calligrapher Mohammad Saber Yaqoti Hussaini Khedri and his students started the composition in September 2004, which involved at least two years of continuous work for the shafting and archiving.

All the 30 parts of Koran has been done in 30 different designs. It was finally completed in September 2009.

Important day: Key religious figures, clerics, scholars and government officials admire the text's 218 pages during the ceremony at the Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center

Prophetic: The Koran is a verbatim record of the words God revealed to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel

VITAL STATISTICS:

Length: 7ft (228cm); Width (pages open): 10ft (310cm); Pages: 218, 

Time to completion: 5 years, Calligraphy designs: 30

Speaking at yesterday's (12 Jan 2012) ceremony, Mansoor Naderi described the completion of the book as a major achievement for the Afghan nation and all Muslims around the world, according to Khaama Press.

Those behind the project were then handed Appreciation Letters by Afghan Senate House speaker Fazal Hadi Muslimyar.

The Koran is the central religious text of Islam and is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to Muhammad.

Muslims believe it was periodically revealed to Muhammad over 23 years before his death at the age of 40 in 632AD.

It is divided into 114 suras which are classified either as Meccan or Medinan depending upon their place and time of revelation.