84-Year-Old Man in Türkiye Completes Handwritten Quran After Six Years

Hilmi Şehitoğlu, an 84-year-old from Erzurum, Türkiye, fulfilled his lifelong dream by handwriting the entire Quran in calligraphy after six years of dedicated work. Şehitoğlu began learning Arabic at age 71, motivated by a desire to leave a meaningful legacy for his children.

Starting with shorter surahs, he gradually progressed, completing the Quran at age 76. The process involved extensive revision, including rewriting hundreds of pages to maintain stylistic consistency. Initially, writing a page took several days, but by the end, he could complete one in about one to one-and-a-half hours.

Şehitoğlu’s journey began after retirement when he enrolled in Ottoman Turkish and Arabic calligraphy courses. He described the Quran as “the most sacred inheritance” and shared that the project brought him great spiritual peace and fulfillment.

He has gifted printed copies to his three children and encourages young people to read, highlighting the Quran’s first command, “Read,” as a guiding principle throughout his life.