A work of Islamic calligraphy by a Japanese artist sold Thursday for $50,000 in a Sotheby's auction in Doha, the auction house said.
The work was created by Koichi Honda, 64, a professor at Tokyo-based Daito Bunka University.
Honda is known as an Islamic calligrapher.
The work depicts a phrase from the Quran in a round shape against a green background, according to Sotheby's and Honda.
Islamic calligraphy, dating back to the 10th century, depicts passages from the Quran instead of images, which are prohibited as iconolatry in Islam.
About 150 items from 24 countries, mainly modern Islamic calligraphy works, were auctioned.
Honda said he felt glad that an auction to chiefly sell Islamic calligraphy works had been held, as it demonstrated the global spread of the art.