Author
The making of the piece is attributed to Asadullah (see below).
Author Original
ينسب صنع القطعة إلى أسد الله أنظر أدناه
Publication Date
785 / 1383
Publication Place
-
Islamic Museum, Al-Haram Al-Sharif
Subject
The blade is made of forged and cast steel, and is engraved with inscriptions; The scabbard is made of wood, partly laminated with copper and partly covered with cloth.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول الكلي: 107 سم؛ طول النصل: 90 سم؛ عرض النصل: 3.3 سم؛ طول الغمد: 93 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
18
Record ID
object;ISL;pa;Mus01;19;ar
Library Location
Islamic Museum, Al-Haram Al-Sharif
Date
785 / 1383
Notes
This sword consists of four parts: the blade, the hilt, the guard (also called the mustache), and the scabbard. The sword is Mongol in origin, and this style was transferred to Persia, and is known as the Shamshir. The blade is narrow and has a pointed tip, and is connected at the top to a wooden handle in the middle of which there is a notch (farza) 1.5 cm wide, in which a copper band decorated with golden lines is placed. The blade is separated from the handle by a guard that takes the shape of a cross, its long side perpendicular to the handle and blade of the sword, and its two ends end with two spherical pieces. On this guard there is written text on each side. Both edges of the sword bear decorative texts and inscriptions, including Qur’anic verses, famous sayings, and verses of poetry. On one edge of the sword are written texts in golden script, each of which is also surrounded by a golden frame. One of them reads: “There is no youth but Ali and no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar,” and another reads: “O Judge of needs.” On the blade at the handle was written: “Victory from God and conquest soon in the year 785.” There are two ungilded texts engraved on the blade inside a cartouche: the first reads “The Work of Asadullah,” and the second “Abbas Bandar Shah.” A text was written in the middle of the blade, about 43 cm long, that includes poetic quotations that begin with the text, “Hussam stripped Al-Fattah from the scabbard of Al-Rada / and cut off the sword of the envious and the enemy with it.” The scabbard was made of wood, and was lined with copper at the top, with a length of 18.5 cm. Three texts were engraved on the copper piece, written in thuluth script. The texts are surrounded by frames of lines surrounded by drawings of plant branches and flowers. All of these texts, lines and drawings are gilded. The copper piece is followed by two bracelets, each 7 cm wide. There is a copper piece at the end of the scabbard, 27.5 cm long, on which five written texts are written. This piece is decorated with decorations in the same style as the copper piece at the top of the scabbard. The part between the copper pieces of the sheath was covered with a piece of cloth 47 cm long, resembling a carpet, woven in black, brown, and gold colors. The written texts on the scabbard include sayings and poems praising the sword and supplications to God for victory.
Sample Text
Khader Salameh “Sword” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;pa;Mus01;19;ar
