Kilij, sabre
BackDescription:
Kilij (scimitar), sabre, made of gold inlaid horn, metal; inscribed with the name of Sultan Selim III.
Object type: | kilij, sabre |
Museum number: | 1953,0515.1 |
Culture/period: | Ottoman dynasty |
Date: | 1789-1807 |
Production place: | Made in: Istanbul (?) |
Materials: | horn, metal, gold |
Technique: | inlaid |
Dimensions: | Length: 95.25 cm Length: 83.82 cm (sheath) |
Inscriptions: | Inscription details: inscription (front ) in Ottoman Turkish Inscription quoted: Inscription transliteration: Mustafâ Hân’dan teberrük işbu tîg-î cevherî Meymenetdür i‘tibâren hatt-ı testîr-î zerî Hazret-î Sultân Selîm tab’ı selîm kalbi selîm Pâdişâhânzâdedür tâ devr-i Âdemden beri Yâdigâr-î pederine çünki rağbetler eder Yâ İlâhî kıl hemân innâ fetahnâ mazheri Bâd-ı tevfîkuñla dâ’im gülşen-î Sultân Selîm Ola handân baht u âmâlinüñ sünbülleri Inscription translation: The poem in Ottoman can be translated as follows: May this sword of watered steel, a relic of Mustafa Khan, Be <a source of> blessing, in consideration <of> its lines of writing in gold. Sultan Selim, firm in nature, sound in heart, Is the descendant of emperors going back to Adam’s time. Because he esteems <this> memento of his father, O God, make manifest at once <the promise of> Innā fataḥnā. With the breeze of Thy divine assistance, <in> the flower-garden of Sultan Selim May the hyacinths of his good fortune and his hopes be ever in blossom. Inscription note: In line 1, Mustafa Khan is Sultan Mustafa III, the father of Sultan Selim III. In line 2, “Selim”, “firm” and “sound” are all the same word, repeated three times, in a play on Sultan Selim’s name. In line 3, Innā fataḥnā are the first words of the surat al-Fath (Qur'an: XLVIII, 1), “Verily We have granted thee <a manifest victory>”. The grammar is defective in the original, and two hemistichs appear to break the metre, which is ramal |
Location: | 35 |
Subjects: | sultan/sultana |
Associated names: | Named in inscription: Selim III |
Acquisition names: | Purchased from: E Beghian Funded by: P T Brooke Sewell, Esq |
Acquisition date: | 1953 |
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