DOES THE TOPKAPI CODEX BELONG TO THE CALIPH UTHMAN?

The survival of the codices which were transcribed by a committee under the chairmanship of Zaid ibn-Thabit in the caliphate of Uthman ibn-Affan has been one of the greatly interested subject matters in the history of the Qur'an text. Especially, the codex that is believed to have been recited by Caliph Uthman, when he was assassinated, has provided a focus of interest for Muslims. The old manuscripts of the Qur’an attributed to the third caliph of Islam are today believed to be present in several cities of the world. Among them Cairo, Samarqand and Istanbul are the most famous ones. This article examines whether the Topkapi (Istanbul) Codex belonged to Uthman or not by analyzing it on various grounds. Before this analysis brief information on the number of the Uthmanic codices, on their survival and on manuscripts existing today, in cities such as Cairo and Samarqand is given