MUSLIM HERALDRY
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Like all
other Empires the Muslim Empires in history had their own emblems symbolizing
the different parts of its political structure. As we know from all other
empires these were symbols for the empire, the state and the ruler in the first
place. The state was divided into the different spheres of authority, the
administration, the armed forces and the church which each had their own
hierarchy. The
muslim emblems of sociopolitical entities are not very well explored and we
may even think that they were not there at all, given the existing
literature. Nevertheless we may try to discover some of the most common
emblems. It may be
noticed that the symbolism of the Caliphates was strongly influenced by the
symbolism of its surrounding empires: The Byzantine Empire and the Sassanian
Empire at the cost of which the Caliphate flourished and extended. For that
reason muslim symbolism looks very much like the heraldry of the surrounding
cultures. |
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In the
early days of Muslim conquest it seems there was no political entity which
could be called a Muslim empire. It was only in the time of the first Omayyad
Caliph Mu'āwiya (660-680) who
tried to establish an empire, that an emblem for that empire can be expected.
The most probable symbol for the Damascus Caliphate, is a sun rayonnant with
an undefined number of rays and of Sassanian style. We may also suppose that
the former sun-emblems of Byzantium and the Sassanian Empire were used in the
different parts of the empire. Indeed we have some indications that such a sun
was used. In the first place there is a picture of the Vehicle of State on a
silver dish from the turn of the 7th-8th century, that is the reign of caliph
Abd-al-Malik (685-705), the cart having wheels in the shape of a sun. Another
evidence is on the breast of a bronze eagle dated 180 H, that is from the
reign of Al Rashid (786-809 AD). Both versions of a sun have the shape of a
16-rayed sun. ð See
illustration in the head of this essay. |
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Apparently the Muslim sun has evoluated and could
have different shapes. In the 13th century the symbol of the Abbasid Empire
seems to have been a sun in the shape of a golden disc. This is reported by the mid-13th
century Chinese author, Chau Ju-kua, in his account of Baghdad when he
describes a briljant golden “moon” above a jade lion on the top of a black
umbrella held over the head of the Abassid caliph. The translators and
commentators of the text have cogently argued that this moon must have been a
crescent, since a circular emblem would have been taken for a sun. [1] However, if we take into account
that the Chinese moon is depicted as a white disc, we may be sure that a sun
is meant. This
golden disc is also affirmed by Joinville who writes about the year 1250: “These boys, who were
known as bahariz (or people from
the sea), were privileged to wear the same coat of arms - which was in gold -
as the sultan himself. As soon as their beards began to grow he made them
knights. They continued to wear his arms, but with a difference - that is to
say, they added certain crimson devices, such as roses, stripes, or birds, or
other designs, according to their choice.” [2] Such a
shield, including thunderbolts/fleurs-de-lis can also be seen in the hands of
a Sarracen warrior in Clermont Ferrand:
Photo H.d.V. August 2004 Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption, Clermont Ferrand. Peintures
Murales, abside 8. Chapelle St. Georges. Such
a sun can for example be
Frontispiece of a Qur An: 16 rayed sun and lotuses Islamic, Egyptian, Mamluk
period 1360–1370 Later muslim states
like the Ottoman Empire had also a sun to symbolize the empire. Such a sun
can for example be found on Ottoman banners:
In the 19th century a sun rayonnant became a part
of the crest of the achievement of the Ottoman Empire. Another sunlike device is the circular tiraz
which consists of a concentrically written personal names and titles and
which is comparable with the western halo around the heads of high-ranking
Byzantine offcials. |
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The Muslim State is symbolized by a crescent. This
symbol is borrowed from the Sassanian Empire as well as from the Roman and
Byzantine empires and was also used by the empire of the Seleucids. A moon in general, be it a full
moon or a crescent, is a symbol of the state of most ancient empires. The
crescent was a very common emblem in the Mameluk and Ottoman Empires and in
later centuries it became a symbol of Islam in general. An early representation of the Muslim crescent is
on a 7th - 8th
century silver dish with a moon-cart. [3] On this dish, the state is
symbolized by a crescent supported by two angels taking the Persian
crescent-and-angels as an example. Later, the angels, being symbols of
heavenly mandate, were omitted and the crescent remained, hereby following
the Seleucid example. Afterwards
heraldic achievements, that is to say emblems supported by mandatory
symbols are very rare in the Muslim world. The
crescent remains in use throughout the Christian
Era of the Nubian
Empire, and it stands on the Nubian crowns used until the fall of the
Empire in 1323. The use of the crescent by the Mamluks was perfectly in line
with this. Also in Egypt the crescent must have been introduced early,
probably at the same time as in Nubia. Under the Caliphs and the later
Islamic dynasties, the crescent received more emphasis as a symbol of the
highest administrative authority, while the cup
also remained in use as a symbol of the lower administrative ranks in
particular of the Viceroys or Governors. In this sense, the lily occurs both
in Egypt itself and in Syria. A special example of the use of the lily is the
French fleur de lis which on the coat of arms of the Kings of France has
taken the place of the eagle representing a high military rank. Among the
Mamluks, the crescent was also placed in a military context and in that sense
he appears on Mamluk and Nubian shields. This would mean that in Egypt
military authority was strictly subject to administrative authority, just as
in Byzantium the christogram as a military symbol has disappeared and
replaced by the square cross that must also be associated with administrative
authority, in this case of the Emperor. and its chancellery. In addition, in
that period the crescent was the usual symbol on flags that did not
necessarily have a military significance. These flags can be found on various
maps or portolans from the 14th and 15th centuries. This shows that in Nubia
initially their own flag was carried with a white waxwoman on a blue cloth.
This should theoretically mean that Nubia was placed under a very high
official of the Mamluk hierarchy at that time. [4] Later, at the end of the 14th
century, the cloth is yellow and so the Egyptian flag was used unchanged.
This should mean that from that time on, Nubia must have been rich in
resources. The waxwares of Nubia appears to have been added to the Egyptian
flag, which is then yellow with three waxers for the kingdoms Egypt, Syria
and Nubia. This
flag, the cloth under the Ottomans being blue, was used in Egypt at least
until the early 19th century, even though Nubia had long since been abandoned
and preyed on by Arab tribes. An Egyptian flag with two crescents s is not
known. Under
Mehmed Ali, a three-crescent flag was reintroduced for Egypt, except that
six-pointed stars were now placed between the crescents horns. These stars
could thus be in the tradition of the hexagram, which is confirmed by the
military function of the Egyptian flags of the early 19th century. So they
would more or less replace the medieval shield as a military symbol. The flag
of Mehmet Ali then meant as much as "the military administrator of
Egypt". And indeed the restoration of the Medieval Egyptian Empire must
have been the intention of Mehmet Ali, for in addition to conquering the Sudan
in 1820, he also undertook a campaign to Palestine in 1831. Later,
the six-pointed stars were changed into five-pointed stars that originate
more from the Western European cultural area. In the modern
republican symbolism of Nubia, neither the lotus nor the crescent appears
anymore. After the
conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim in 1517 the crescent became the most
prominent symbol in the Muslim world. |
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The Head of State |
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The head of state, not necessarily the ruler, is
symbolized by a crescent and star, on Sassanian coins and early muslim
coinage in this way:
In other cases the head of state is symbolized by
his bust or head, surrounded by a crescent. This can be seen on this copper dirham
of ‘Izz al-Din Mas’ud I ibn Mawdud, (576-589 H/1180-1193 AD), the ruler
of Mosul. The crescent-and-head configuration is also not exceptional as can be
seen in this 8th century fresco from Pendzhikent which shows a Buddhist “head
of state”.
Sogdian fresco and Seljuq dirham
showing a “Head of State”.
Silver dirham of al-Mu’azzam Mahmud (1215-’58)
Silver
dirham of al-Mansur Muhammad I (1197-1227) Still another configuration, more in accordance
with the prohibition of the imagery of living beings, is the crescent
inscribed with the name of the ruler. This version is seen in the crescent of
the Fatimid Caliph Al Zahir, inscribed with his name. This piece, made of
rock crystal, is mounted in a Gothic monstrance, today in Germany.
Crescent of rock crystal inscribed
with the name of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Zahir li-izaz din Allah (1021-’32 AD) (Nuremberg, Germanische Nationalmuseum, KG. 695)[5] Usually however, the ruler is represented by a
star. In this version of the crescent and star the star has five points. This is the common and widespread modern
form.
State Official |
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The ruler in the Muslim Empires is represented by
himself or by his imago. In the Roman and Byzantine Empires the head
of the ruler is surrounded by a halo symbolizing the empire. This halo or corona
in its Seleucian form had the shape of a 16-pointed sun but in the later
Roman form it has the shape of a golden disc. The first imago’s of the Muslim caliphs show him
standing or sitting with a sword in his hands in the way the Sassanian shah’s
were depicted. On this silver dish a ruler is depicted in Sasanian
style. Probably even Caliph Ali (656-661) is meant whose rule began only five
years after the death of the last Sasanid King Yazdgard III in 651.
Post-Sasanid silver dish [6] Ruler sitting cross-legged, crowned with a winged
crown crested with a crescent. In his right a bowl or cup. The ruler is attended by several servants and
guarded by two lions (by the grace of the emirs?). Later, when it was forbidden to make a picture of
living beings, the ruler was symbolized by the sword alone which corresponds with
the qualification “Defender of the Faith”. Islam is opposed to
life-like images of living creatures and in particular of God and Muhammad
himself. Regulations
against any form of imagery seem to have taken effect quite early on in
Islam. The earliest traces of defined regulations date back to the middle of
the 8th century, some 120 years after the death of Muhammad, but there may
well have been established regulations before this. As a result imago’s of Muslim rulers are very
often replaced by his name and titles written in arab script. Such writings of names and/or titles of a ruler
are by no means exeptional. Well known are the Egyptian cartouches bearing
the name of the pharao but also the inscriptions on Chinese seals and royal
cyphers in latin script. The difference is that in Islam the ruler often is
represented by his written name and titles alone, and that portraits, statues
or other images of the ruler are often missing. A specific muslim name-writing is the tughra.
The tughra originates from the turkish Oghuz and was also adopted by
the Seljuq-, Mameluk- and Ottoman rulers.
Tughra of the Mameluk
Sultan Al Nasir Muhammad I (1293-1341) In the same way Allah, who is the ultimate and
supreme ruler, is represented. His
name is written in calligraphic form like this:
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Nevertheless
there are many pictures of Muslim rulers and, for example, we can make up an
uninterrupted series of portraits of Persian rulers of the Safavid, Ghalzay,
Afsharid, Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties. In fact, many muslim rulers were
depicted in full dress, wearing crowns and precious attires and accompanied
by insignia of their office. The same is
true for the later rulers of the Osmanli Dynasty, be it that the formal dress
was quite sober. |
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The Ummayad Caliph Hisham (976-1009) with
sceptre (?) and cup. At his feet two quadrupeds (lions?) |
Seljuq sultan, probably Arslan (1160-1175) with
turban and holding a cup. The two angels symbolize his heavenly mandate (By the
Grace of God) |
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The Il-Khan Öljeitu (1304-1316) Crowned
and holding a cup. Two swords symbolize is armed authority (By the Grace of
the Sword) ð The
Persian Shah Fath Ali (1797-1834) Imperially
crowned and armed with a sword |
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The pictures seem to imply that most early muslim rulers presented themselves as supreme administrators and later as supreme commanders. This hypothesis is something interesting to be proved. |
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From the Hindu
system of sociopolitical symbols the club, the lotus and the conch are known
to symbolize armed, adminstrative and religious authority. In the Christian
system these ranges of authority are symbolized by the christogram XP, the
square cross and the latin cross. These
symbols were apparently not convenient to the muslim world and instead
symbols of hellenistic origin were used. |
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Two
bladed sword on a
coin of Abd al Malik (694-705 AD) The symbol of armed authority in the Muslim
context was at first a two-bladed sword called Dhu’l Fakar. In the
time of the Caliphate of Damascus the Dhu’l Fakar was replaced by a fleur-de-lys, which
is also a version of a thunderbolt. At the
capture of Egypt by the Ottomans in 1517 the fleur-de-lys disappeared from
Muslim iconography. The emblem of armed authority of the Ottomans was a Dhu’l
Fakar which was displayed on the Great Army banner but also on the flags
of the chief commanders. Later, the Dhu’l Fakar was also adopted as an emblem
in the Far East. Another symbol of armed authority used in muslim
context is the hexagram or Magen David, consisting of the ΔΔ-monogram. Its use
seems to have been restricted to the successors of the former Roman and
Byzantine Empires (for example Morocco) |
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Amir al Mu’minin |
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After the
conquests made by Abu Bakr, the successor of the Messenger of God, Omar
(634-644) took the title of Amir al Mu’minin meaning “Commander of the
Faithful”, which became the formal title of all later caliphs. This command
is symbolized by a sword which is held in hand by the commander. A sword
had also been the symbol of office of the former Sassanian commanders and was
held by him on official portraits in an erect position between his legs. The
command of the early commanders of the faithful was also symbolized by
a sword but they were depicted standing upright and keeping the sword in
their right hand, point downwards. |
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Early muslim coins showing the development of the Dhu’l Fakar Also this
sword had a peculiar form, not resembling the former Sasanian
swords-in-sheath, as it had two points or blades. This two-bladed sword has
become known as Dhu ‘l Fakar and was supposed to have belonged
to Muhammad himself. |
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At the establisment of the Caliphate of Damascus
(684) the (Persian) dhu’l fakar was abandoned and was replaced by the
Byzantine thunderbolt usually known as fleur-de-lys. This figure is for the
first time in a muslim context on the seal of Abd el Malik, Caliph of
Damascus (685-705). It is the central part of a remarkable achievement
consisting of a thunderbolt supported by two lions which could be the
achievement of the Muslim Army (by the grace of the amirs).
Seal of Abd el Malik (685-705 AD)[7] Showing the achievement of the Army Staff. |
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Forthwith the symbol of armed authority used in
Muslim context was the fleur-de-lys which is a depiction of a
thunderbolt or “the arms of Heaven”. [8] The thunderbolt is of a very ancient origin
and is known and used as a symbol of armed authority from the western point
of the Eurasian continent up to the East of the Indonesian Archipelago. In the Muslim world the thunderbolt in its
specific fleur-de-lis form is very much connected with the Caliphate of
Damascus and its successors.
Examples of a thunderbolt are on coins minted in
the Caliphate in 697, 705 and 721 AD. The symbol was also exported to Spain
when the Omayyads took refuge there. This is demonstrated by a coin from
Andalusia of 782 AD.. At the end of Seljuq suzerainty (1055-1194) the
thunderbolt reappears over the mihrab of the madrasah of Atabeg Nur
addin Mahmud in Damascus, built between 1154 and 1173. Later it was printed
on coins of the Caliphate and the Bahri and Burji-Mameluk rulers of Egypt
until the conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim in 1517. [9] A late version of the thunderbolt can be found on
the helmet ofa servant of Sultan Al
Ashraf Barsbay (1422-1438) (Atil 41). This thunderbolt most resembles a
trident or demi-thunderbolt. ð See: Egypt |
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Helmet made for a servant
of Sultan Barsbay, about 1430. Paris, Musée du Louvre, 6130 Some inscriptions on the helmet read: Glory to
our master, the sultan, the royal, al-Malik al-Ashraf ... Abu’l Nasir Barsbay,
may his victory be glorious. The piece may therefore have belonged to the naib-al
sultana, the vice-regent of the sultan and governor of Egypt who was one
of the highest operational ‘Men of the Sword’. After the capture of Egypt in 1517 the fleur-de-lis
became obsolete.
Great Ottoman Banner, captured 1683 |
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Military Hierarchy |
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The
badges of ranks used in early muslim military hierarchy do not differ from
the symbols of rank of the Roman empires. They are not a continuation of the badges
of rank of the Sasanid Empire which knew the simurg and the ibex as rank
badges of the most important commanders. Also, the symbols of the
administrative hierarchy were much more developed in the Sasanid empire,
counting between them all kinds of birds. |
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Two-headed Eagle. |
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Ceramic
tile with two-headed eagle Seljuqid, 1236 Rum Kubadabad
Palace. Kon.Karatay Madrasah At early
times the two-headed eagle occurred in Umayyad Spain
and in Egypt. It is
often said that the emblem of Saladin was a two-headed eagle but no examples
of two-headed eagles can be attributed to him. Also, as a wazir and
sultan of Egypt (1169/’75-1193), it can be expected that he used a crescent
and star. |
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Eagle |
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Artin Pasha (pp. 88-97), after a short introduction, gives some 15 pictures of eagles from the arab world. The oldest is from a 10th century building in Cairo. [10] An eight century example however is from Iraq.
Bronze eagle or falcon, Iraq (?) 180 H (796-797 AD) State
Museum the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. On this
very interesting piece there is a sun of Seleucid shape and also
eight-petaled flowers. In ancient Egyptian heraldry the emblem of the empire
was depicted above the head of an animal, in Chinese heraldry the sun was
depicted near or together with the animal symbolizing a rank. Mayer
(pp.9-10, pl. III, XIV) gives some eagles from Mamluk Egypt and
writes: “Among birds the eagle alone seems to be
represented, although one would have expected the falcon to occur at least as
often as the eagle. The eagle is known in two varieties, the one headed and
the two-headed. Both varieties frequently show a lanceolate patch on their
breasts which at times has the appearance of a gash; hence the description
‘aigle éventré’. But more often it looks like a pear-shaped shield, and is
probably meant to be an ornament only. The claws of the eagles are usually
shown grasping the tips of the wings, thus forming a horizontal - or almost
horizontal - line strongly contrasting with the vertical axis formed by the
eagle’s head and tail. The eagle is either displayed with wings inverted, the
head turned to the left or to the right, or as rising, with wings inverted
and so addorsed that only one wing is visible. The eagle appears both on one,
and on two-fielded sheilds, and at times without a shield; it is never found
in conjunction with anaother animal, but is often depicted standing on some
inanimate, such as a sword, cup or napkin. Inone case the sword is to the
right of the eagle. The peculiar head-ornament on the head of the eagle of
Muzaffar ad-din Musa b. Malik as Salih should be noted.”[11] |
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Griffin |
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The griffin is very rare in Muslim heraldry.
An example is found in 8th century caliphal palace in Mshatta. A single piece
is known from the Spanish Taifa period (1031-1086) and another from Almoravid
Morocco (1071-1147).
Pisa
Griffin. Taifa period, 11th century. Bronze. h.
107 cm. Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Pisa. This is
an all-comprising symbol as there are eagles son his fore-legs and lions on
his hind-legs. |
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Lion |
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The lion
as a symbol is very well known in Muslim heraldry. Early examples are on the
seal of Abd el Malik where they act as
a supporter of a thunderbolt. Later,
lions were used by many warriors in bewildering numbers. In particular we
know lions from Islamic Spain but also from Mamluk Egypt or from the Far
East. A special lion is the Lion of Ali, the emblem of the stepson of
Muhammad and often used by shiite generals and warriors. In short
the lion, in muslim heraldry almost always depicted passant guardant,
is a constant heraldic emblem throughout muslim history until present.
Lion from Baibars Bridge in Ramla, 1273 After the
fall of the Mamluk Empire the lion remained the only animal military emblem
in the Muslim world. In particular it prolonged its existence in societies of
shiite denomination. |
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The lotus and the cup |
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In
ancient Egypt, flowers can be seen as territorial symbols. For example, the
territorial symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt were a papyrus and a lily. Such
flowers are also found among the Hittites and the Persians. In
connection with Nubia, there is a lotus flower that is first found on the
throne of Tutankhaten as Viceroy of Kush. The flower is attached to a wide
jeweled collar and hangs on the back of the prince. Later,
the lotus appears again on a Nubian relief
Relief of Iuput as an incarnation of Horus
sitting on a lotusflower referring to the legend that the god was created
rising from the waters sitting on a lotusflower. (10th - 8th c. B.C. Royal
Scottish Museum, Edinburgh)
Relief of Iuput as
an incarnation of Horus sitting on a lotusflower referring to the legend that
the god was created rising from the waters sitting on a lotusflower. (10th - 8th c. B.C. Royal Scottish
Museum, Edinburgh)
Lotus-collar
of Tutankhamun as on the back of his throne. The Lotus (Sanskrit. padma, Tibetan. pema) This
singular water plant was associated with divinity throughout the ancient
world. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Greels and Persians all ascribed sacred
qualities to this white or blue flower which grows undefiled out of its muddy
water base. The early Buddhists adopted the lotus symbolism already existing
in India, connecting the flower’s purity and perfection with divines birth
and emancipation of Buddhahod. As Mahayana Buddism developed and
anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha began to appear in India and
elsewhere in Buddhist Asia, lotus flowers in conventionalized disk-from were
shown sprouting from the feet of Buddhist images or in naturalistic or
stylized form, supporting seated or standing images of saints and divinities.
The lotus throne or support ws a cincrete symbol of the attainment of
enlightnement. The Mahayanist doctrines of Buddhist paradises with thier lotus
pond settings (as in the Lotus Sutra) reinforced the lotus symbolism. The
lotus has a further Mahayanist meaning as the female element, paire with the
male element vajra.
Buddhist Lotus A lotus,
a symbol of purity of buddhism,
also adopted by islam. It therefore could be a symbol of Uzbeg Khan, a
buddhist who adopted Islam.
Christian Lotus from a russian dress of Vladimir 1303-1325
Foto David Pin Muslim Lotus 1712 Bolo Hauz
Mosque, Bukhara In the muslim empires we
have seen cups in the hands of the Ummayad Caliphs and the Seljuq Sultans. The cup has not escaped the attention of
two most important scientists, even when they do not label the cup as the
symbol of administrative authority or any office. Nevertheless, the Mamluk Empire for
example, had a very extended bureaucracy and we may assume that many officers
of this bureaucracy had their own emblems. These were not of the animal
kind like the in the Persian and Chinese systems. L.A.Mayer writes: “When the theory explaining the Mamluk
blazon as a symbol of office was first advanced, the cup was one of the cases
quoted. There was more of intuition than of knowledge in this suggestion, as
the inscriptions accompanying the actual examples did not contain any reference
to the office of a cup-bearer, nor was any one of the holders of these
blazons called ‘cup-bearer’ in the extracts quoted by the different Arab
authors. [....] Each of the following holders of simple blazons with a cup is
styled ‘cup-bearer’ (saqi) in the relevant inscriptions: [eight names] The following is known to have been a
cup-bearer: [six names] Of the following I know nothing: [eleven
names]”[2] And he gives a collection
of 52 composite blazons with cups: |
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When we
accept that the cup
was the symbol of administrative authority it follows that these composite
blazons represent the different administrative officers. For example (in the
Mamluk Empire):
If these
blazons were of administrative officers this would also explain the
occurrence of a pen-box (the emblem of a secreatary) in so many of them. Of a
pen-box Mayer also gives some examples showing subtle differences:
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The Administrative Achievement |
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The cup or bowl as the central piece of an achievement is known for example from Roman France. It is also known from 8th century Muslim Empire.
Detail of the façade of the Caliphal residence of al-Walid II
(743-744) showing a griffin and a senmurw. Limestone. Mshatta,
Jordan. Museum für islamische Kunst.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Inv.-Nr. I. 6163. Another one, from the same palace shows a cup
supported by two lions:
As the griffin and the lion were badges of military rank we may conclude that the
administrative departments were usually controlled by amirs of different
ranks After the
conquests of the Ottoman sultans the emblem apparently became obsolete, as
did the Mamluk system of composite blazons. |
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The
development of the emblem of religious authority can be followed on the
reverses of early islamic coins of the 7th century. In the early years of
islam the religious authority was symbolized by a priest in orans
posture. This priest replaced the zoroastrian fire-altar between two priests
on 3rd - 7th century Sassanian coins and occured after the fall of the
Sassanian Empire in 642. During the reign of Abd el Malik (685-705) the
development from this quite concrete representation of islam to an abstract
representation took place. On his early coins the orans posture of the
priest was abandoned. Still later the priest and supporters were abandoned
altogether and replaced by a pole on an altar of four steps. In 695 the altar
was replaced by a mihrab and at the end of his reign, when a
numismatic reform took place, the mihrab also disappeared and was
replaced by the shahada or islamic confession of faith. A symbol of administrative auithority, comparable
with the square cross of christianity, and the padma of buddhism and the square
cross of judaism is the so-called Rub el-Hizb, (ربع
الحزب rubʿ
al-ḥizb) consisting of two
overlapping squares. In Arabic, Rubʻ
means “one fourth, quarter”, while Hizb
means a group or party. Initially, it was used in the Quran, which is divided
into 60 Hizb (60 groups of roughly equal length); the symbol determines every
quarter of Hizb, while the Hizb is one half of a juz'. The main
purpose of this dividing system is to facilitate recitation of the Qur'an.
The figure may not be confused with an eight-rayed sun, which is the symbol
of a realm.
Drachme of the Sassanian
shahYazdagird I (399-421) Zoroastrian firealtar between two guards. |
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Early islamic coins with priest
between two assistants or guards. The one on
the right from the reign of Abd el Malik, 693 AD |
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Coin of Abd el Malik, altar type, 694 AD |
Early islamic coin, mihrab
type, reverse. 695 AD In the margin: In the Name of God (American
Numismatic society) |
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By a numismatic reform of Abd al Malik (685-705) a
confession of faith was introduced on silver dirhams. It reads “There is no
Deity except God alone, he has no equal”.
Post-reform silver dirham In the field: There is no Deity except God alone,
he has no equal. In the margin: In the name of
God. This Dirham was struck in Wasit in the year three and ninety This formula, the shahada, was extended by
his successor into: “There is no deity exept God alone and Muhammed is his
messenger” (La ilaha illallah Muhammad Rasulallah). This usually is written in arabic script:
Modern rendering of the
Islamic Confession of Faith The shahada
is on many islamic national- and army flags (for example of Saudi Arabia and Taliban
Afghanistan) and on buildings, books and the like. Some mediaeval arms bear
the first letters of the formula (cf. Arabia and Granada).
Topkapi Shahada and Tughra |
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Rub el-Hizb |
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Development of the emblem of Religious
Authority of Islam Octagrams
formed from overlapping squares often emphasize duality: yin and yang, male and
female, spritual and material. Squares
are often connected with the physical world: four elements, four cardinal
directions, etc. Together, the they can mean both positive and negative
aspects of the four elements, for example, and balancing them. Such
overlappig squares are the symbol of the Hindu goddes Lakshmi, the goddess of
wealth, who has eight emanations known as Ashtalakshmi. These emanations
represent eight forms of wealth: monetary, ability to transport, endless
prosperity, victory, patience, health and nourishment, knowledge, and family. Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from the root word lakṣ (लक्ष) and lakṣa (लक्ष), meaning “to perceive, observe, know, understand” and “goal, aim,
objective” respectively. These roots give Lakshmi
the symbolism of: know and understand your goal. A related term is lakṣaṇa, which means
“sign, target, aim, symbol, attribute, quality, lucky mark, auspicious
opportunity”. This points to the use of the overlapping squares as a
spiritual symbol. So far as our data reach, the Rub el-Hizb
was introduced in the time of the Caliphate in the 10th century. An early
example of the overlapping squares in a muslim context comes from Samarqand
where it was quite exeptionally printed on a coin from the beginning of the
11th century AD. Development of the emblem of Religious
Authority of Islam Octagrams
formed from overlapping squares often emphasize duality: yin and yang, male and
female, spritual and material.
Squares are often connected with the physical world: four elements, four
cardinal directions, etc. Together, the they can mean both positive and
negative aspects of the four elements, for example, and balancing them. Such
overlappig squares are the symbol of the Hindu goddes Lakshmi, the goddess of
wealth, who has eight emanations known as Ashtalakshmi. These emanations
represent eight forms of wealth: monetary, ability to transport, endless
prosperity, victory, patience, health and nourishment, knowledge, and family. Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from the root word lakṣ (लक्ष) and lakṣa (लक्ष), meaning “to perceive, observe, know, understand” and “goal, aim,
objective” respectively. These roots give Lakshmi
the symbolism of: know and understand your goal. A related term is lakṣaṇa, which means
“sign, target, aim, symbol, attribute, quality, lucky mark, auspicious
opportunity”. This points to the use of the overlapping squares as a
spiritual symbol. An early
example of the overlapping squares in a muslim context comes from Samarqand
where it was quite exeptionally printed on a coin from the beginning of the
11th century AD.
A fals
from Samarquand, 1009-1014AD QK-043
Ilek Nasr b. Ali and Nizam al-Dawla Abu'l-Muzaffar Tongha Tegin Muhammad b.
al-Hasan AH399-404/1009-1014AD, AH401 Fals 2.81grm, 28.1mm, Samarqand mint,
Obverse: San'a Tegin, Reverse: Nasr b. 'Ali[13] At the end of the same century an eight-pointed figure appears in the
Seljuqid Empire (1038-1194)
Detail of a panel of stucco relief revetment. Found at Ray (ancient
capital in the surroundinges of Teheran), inscribed with the name of Tughril
[Tughril Beg II (?), d. 1195 (591 H.). Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) Museum of
Art. H. 213.5 cm, W. 671 cm. The Rub el Hizb (Arabic:
ربع
الحزب) is a Muslim symbol, represented as two
overlapping squares, which is found on a number of emblems and flags. In
Arabic, Rubʻ means "one fourth, quarter",
while Hizb means a group or party. Initially, it was used in the Quran, which is
divided into 60 Hizb
(60 groups of roughly equal length); the symbol determines every quarter of
Hizb, while the Hizb is one half of a juz'. The main purpose of this
dividing system is to facilitate recitation of the Qur'an. It is also used as
a marker for the end of a chapter in Arabic calligraphy. The symbol is used as a marker
for the end of a chapter in Arabic calligraphy. It is represented by two
overlapping squares as in the Unicode
glyph ۞ at U+06DE. An eight-pointed star was used
as a symbol of Tartessos,
an ancient civilization based in Andalusia. As the region was ruled by
Islamic dynasties for eight centuries, this may suggest a possible origin of
the Rub el Hizb. The Star
of Lakshmi is a similar symbol, based on the same geometric star figure,
which figures in Hinduism, where it represents Ashtalakshmi, the eight forms, or
"kinds of wealth", of the goddess Lakshmi. At the
beginning of the 13th century the symbol is on a Almohad flag
Rub el-Hizb on
the Burgos banner 1212-‘50 Somewhat later eight-pointed figures waere used by
the Il-Khanid empire (1256-1343)
Il-Khanid eight-pointed
tiles from their palaces, probably in Takht-i-Suleiman, 13th cent. Coll.
Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden These kind of eight-pointed tiles enclose several
symbols amongst other things badges of civil and military rank of Chinese
origin. The
present Rub el Hizb is represented
by two overlapping squares. The symbol is used as a marker for the end of a
chapter in Arabic calligraphy. It is also found on a number of emblems and
flags, in particular of the kingdom of Morocco and the republic
of Turkmenistan.
Rub el-Hizb, Moroccan style
Moroccan banners charged with Rub el Hizb Captured by the French,
1844. Paris, Invalides |
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© Hubert de Vries 2011-12-15. Updated 2021-01-26