Publication Date
Around 907 AH / 1501 AD.
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Art
Subject
The blade is made of gilded steel; The guard (the piece separating the sword’s hilt and its blade) is made of gilded silver. The handle is made of ivory, and it is likely made of rhinoceros horn due to its distinctive colour.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 93 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
5267
Record ID
object;ISL;eg;Mus01;7;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
Around 907 AH / 1501 AD.
Notes
The piece consists of a curved, double-edged blade, a handle, and a guard. The guard takes the shape of a cruciform, with its short side attached to the handle and the blade, and its long side protruding from the blade and perpendicular to it, and ending with two oval ornaments. The blade is decorated with an inscription in gold bearing the name of the Mamluk Sultan Al-Adil Tumanbay, who ruled for only a few months and was deposed in the month of Ramadan in the year 907 AH / 1501 AD. As for the text of the inscription, it is: “Sultan, King, Al-Malik, Al-Adil, Abu Al-Nasr, Tumanbay, Sultan of Islam and Muslims, Father of the poor and needy, Killer of infidels and polytheists, Bringer of justice in the worlds. May God immortalize his kingdom and exalt his victory.” In general, the royal swords were decorated with gilded engravings that included the names and titles of the sultans, and sometimes verses from the Holy Qur’an. The position of the sword-bearer, that is, the sword-bearer, was one of the highest positions in the Mamluk state. Therefore, the princes who assumed this position were keen to use their functional emblem, which took the form of a sword. Islamic swords were made of Levantine steel, which was considered one of the finest types of steel. Sword making was done by melting soft iron skewers with hard ones and hammering them together.
Sample Text
Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad “Sword” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;eg;Mus01;7;ar
