PERSIA /
IRAN
|
The
history of Iran or history of Persia, is intertwined with the history of a
larger region, comprising the area from Anatolia, the Bosphorus, and Egypt in
the west to the borders of Ancient India and the Syr Darya in the east, and
from the Caucasus and the Eurasian Steppe in the north to the Persian Gulf
and the Gulf of Oman in the south. Iran is
home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with
historical and urban settlements dating back to 7000 BC. The south-western
and western part of the Iranian Plateau participated in the traditional
Ancient Near East with Elam, from the Early Bronze Age, and later with
various other peoples, such as the Kassites, Mannaeans, and Gutians. The
Medes unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC. The Achaemenid Empire
(550–330 BC), founded by Cyrus the Great, was the first true global
superpower state and it ruled from the Balkans to North Africa and also
Central Asia, spanning three continents, from their seat of power in Persis
(Persepolis). It was the largest empire yet seen and the first world empire.
The Achaemenid Empire was the only civilization in all of history to connect
over 40% of the global population, accounting for approximately 49.4 million
of the world's 112.4 million people in around 480 BC. They were succeeded by
the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian Empires, who successively governed Iran
for almost 1,000 years and made Iran once again as a leading power in the
world. Persia's arch-rival was the Roman Empire and its successor, the
Byzantine Empire. The
Iranian Empire proper begins in the Iron Age, following the influx of Iranian
peoples. Iranian people gave rise to the Medes, the Achaemenid, Parthian, and
Sasanian Empires of classical antiquity. Once a
major empire, Iran has endured invasions too, by the Macedonians, Arabs,
Turks, and the Mongols. The
Muslim conquest of Persia (633–654) ended the Sasanian Empire and is a
turning point in Iranian history. Islamization of Iran took place during the
eighth to tenth centuries, leading to the eventual decline of Zoroastrianism
in Iran as well as many of its dependencies. However, the achievements of the
previous Persian civilizations were not lost, but were to a great extent
absorbed by the new Islamic polity and civilization. Iran,
with its long history of early cultures and empires, had suffered
particularly hard during the late Middle Ages and the early modern period.
Many invasions of nomadic tribes, whose leaders became rulers in this
country, affected it negatively. Iran was
reunified as an independent state in 1501 by the Safavid dynasty, which set
Shia Islam as the empire's official religion, marking one of the most
important turning points in the history of Islam. Functioning again as a
leading world power, this time amongst the neighbouring Ottoman Empire, its
arch-rival for
centuries, Iran
had been a monarchy ruled by an emperor almost without interruption from 1501
until the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when Iran officially became an Islamic
republic on 1 April 1979. Over the course of the first half of the
19th century, Iran lost many of its territories in the Caucasus, which had
been a part of Iran for centuries, comprising modern-day Eastern Georgia,
Dagestan, Republic of Azerbaijan, and Armenia, to its rapidly expanding and
emerged neighbouring rival, the Russian Empire, following the Russo-Persian
Wars between 1804–’13 and 1826–‘28. (From:
Wikipedia) |
||||
|
Until the revolution of
1979 the emblem of Persia has been a lion and a sun. This emblem was composed
of four elements: A sun radiant with A face and A lion passant. A sword This emblem can be traced
back to the time of Mongol rule of the Il-Khans in Persia. The elements mean: The sun is a very old symbol of the realm or the Empire The face is the face of the ruler or the owner of the Empire The lion is the emblem of a military official of a certain rank, often
having an administrative mandate. In west-European hierarchy
the lion was the emblem of an official of the third rank after an eagle and a
griffin. It was often associated with the rank of a count or a duke. In Seljuq hierarchy it was
also a symbol of a military rank, probably of an official administrating a
province. In that quality a sun and a lion was printed on coins of the Sultan
of Konia in the time of Mongol suzereinty, the sun being a symbol of the
empire
Silver coin of
Khaikosrau II of Rum (1237-‘45) Lion passant below a faced
sun radiant, eight-pointed star In Mongol hierarchy it was
the emblem of a military official of the second or third rank Other insignia of rank from the Il-Khanid
era are a panther, a tiger and a bear (and of course a simurg) which for example can be found on tiles from
Takht-i-Suleiman and on Il-Khanid silks. |
||||
|
1370-1507 |
||||
|
|
||||
|
History |
||||
|
In the
early fourteenth century, however, as the Il-khanid empire began to break up
into its constituent parts, the Chaghatai territory also was disrupted as the
princes of various tribal groups competed for influence. One tribal
chieftain, Timur (Tamerlane), emerged from these struggles in the 1380s as
the dominant force in Ma war’un nahr (Transoxiania).
Although he was not a descendant of Genghis Khan, Timur became the de facto ruler of Mawarannahr and
proceeded to conquer all of western Central Asia, Iran, Asia Minor, and the
southern steppe region north of the Aral Sea. He also invaded Russia and
India before dying during an invasion of China in 1405. Timur
initiated the last flowering of Ma
war’un nahr by gathering in his capital, Samarqand,
numerous artisans and scholars from the lands he had conquered. By supporting
such people, Timur imbued his empire with a very rich culture. During Timur's
reign and the reigns of his immediate descendants, a wide range of religious
and palatial construction projects were undertaken in Samarqand and other
population centres. Timur also initiated exchange of medical thoughts and
patronized physicians, scientists and artists from the neighboring countries
like India.; his grandson Ulugh Beg was one of the world's first great
astronomers. It was during the Timurid dynasty that Turkish, in the form of
the Chaghatai dialect, became a literary language in its own right in
Mawarannahr—although the Timurids also patronized writing in Persian. Until
then only Persian had been used in the region. The greatest Chaghataid
writer, Ali-Shir Nava'i, was active in the city of Herat, now in northwestern
Afghanistan, in the second half of the fifteenth century. The
Timurid state quickly broke into two halves after the death of Timur. The
chronic internal fighting of the Timurids attracted the attention of the
Uzbek nomadic tribes living to the north of the Aral Sea. In 1501 the Uzbeks
began a wholesale invasion of Mawarannahr. The slave trade in the Khanate of
Bukhara became prominent and was firmly established. Estimates from 1821
suggest that between 25,000 and 40,000 Persian slaves were working in Bukhara
at the time. Three madrasahs of the Registan are: Ulugbek Madrasah (1417-1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619-1636) and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646-1660). Madrasah is a medieval Moslem clergy academy. |
||||
|
The symbol of the Tīmūrid Empire |
||||
|
The sun and the crescent. Clavijo, writing about the visit of the
ambassadors of the spanish king to Kesh in 1403: ...there was a great and lofty pavilion,
which was like a tent, only square, and three lances high. It was a hundred
paces broad, and had four corners, and the ceiling was round, like a vault.
It was pitched against twelve poles, each as large round as a man measured
around the chest.[...] They were painted gold and blue, and other colours,
and from corner to corned there were poles, three fastened together, and
making one [...] From the vault of the ceiling of the pavilion silken cloths
descended between each of the poles [....] In the center of the ceiling there
was the richest work of all; and in the four corners were the figures of four eagles; with
their wings closed. The outside of the pavilion was lined with silk cloths,
in black, white and yellow stripes. At each corner there was a high pole,
with a copper ball, and the figure of
a crescent on the top; and in the centre, there was another tall pole;
with a much larger copper ball and crescent; and, on the top of the pavilion,
between these poles, there was a tower of silken cloths, with turrets, and an
entrance door.... Within the pavilion there was, in one part, a
chamber covered with carpets, for the use of the lord. [1] Of these
emblems the sun and crescent are from the buddhist mongolian repertory of mblems as are the
‘eagles’ whch are cerrtainly gerfalcons
which take the place of eagles in Mongolian martial symbolism. They were the
symbol of Djengiz Khan himself and of many other ancient mongol wariors. |
||||
|
Timur Beg |
*1336-†1405 Amir of Samarcand
1369-1406 Amir of Transoxiana
1370-1405 Khurasan 1391 Kabul 1398 Bagdad 1401 |
|||
|
Timur
Beg, also known as Timur Lenk or Tamerlane, originated from Kesh
(Shahrisabz), a city some 58 km south of Samarkand. The name
means: Iron Lord. The name Tamerlane is a nickname meaning the Iron Lame. The Emblems of Timur Beg.
The
emblems of Timur Beg, who was the ruler of an immense empire but called
himself a beg (chief) for all of his life, were of a
different kind. His standard showed a crescent and sun, and his emblem of
rank was an eagle of which there were four on the posts of his tent. [2] A
seconday emblem was a lion and a sun, best symbolizing his rank of beg. Also, his
seal with the “three circles like O’s” was of Buddhist origin as it displays
the three jewels of Buddhism (tri-ratna
or konchog sum) symbolizing the
holy triad Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. In the Timurid Empire the system of military rank
insignia from the Il-Khanid empire was apparently continued as we meet a
lion, a tiger and a panther in
a military context, sometimes together with a sun. |
||||
|
The eagle |
||||
|
Clavijo, writing about the visit of the
ambassadors of the spanish king to Kesh (Shahrisabz) in 1403: P. 145 There was another very high tent made like
the former one; with the same red cloth and silver-gilt bezants; and these
tents were higher than three lances. On the highest part of the latter tent
there was a very large silver-gilt
eagle, with wings displayed, and a little below it, above the door of the
tent, were three silver-gilt falcons,
with extended wings, and heads turned towards the eagle, which seemed to wish
to attack them. These figures were very well made, and were so placed as to
present a very beautiful effect. The first wall and tents were for the use of
the chief wife of the lord, who was called Caño; and the other was for his
second wife, called Quinchicano, which means “the little lady” [3]. Apparently
he also used other special symbolic emblems, judging from a description of
the interior of one of Timur's great tents: “In the ceiling of the cupola ...
is seen the figure of an eagle in silver gilt, it is of great size and its
wings are open. Then a fathom and a half below on the tent wall they have
figured three falcons in silver gilt, one on the one side and the other two
beyond: these are very skilfully wrought, they have their wings open as
though they were in flight from the eagle, their heads being turned back to
look at him, with their wings extended for flying. The eagle is represented
as though about to pounce on one of the falcons. All these birds are
extraordinarily well figured, and they are set here as though some special
purpose were intended.” (Le Strange pp. 241-242) (...)
Timur evidently used also a crescent as an emblem and perhaps as a talisman,
for finials consisting of a ball topped with a crescent surmounted some of
his tents . [4] Of mixed
origin but not conflicting with the Seljuq or Byzantine traditions is the
lion-and-sun of Timur Beg. Timur Beg, also known as Timur Lenk or Tamerlane
originated from Kesh, a city some 58 km south of Samarcand. Sierksma,
Klaas: Flags of the world: 1669-1670: a seventeenth century
manuscript with commentary and historical annotations by Kl. Sierksma.
Amsterdam, 1966 This
particular flag nowhere has its counterpart. It is not to be found in the
Sketchbook. Nevertheless
it can almost certainly be defined as that of the empire of Tamerlane, inasmuch
as we read in Cleirac (pages 67 and 68): “Tamerlane, le fleau de l’Asie,
souloit arborer ses pavillons de trois diverses couleurs de blanc, de rouge
& de noir, couleurs de paix, de sang, & de mort.” [5] |
||||
|
The
Lion and Sun of Timur Beg |
||||
|
Clavijo,
[6] writing
about the visit of the ambassadors of the spanish king to Kesh in 1403: “On Friday they
(the ambassadors) were taken to see some great palaces. [....] In front of
the first entrance there was another gateway, leading to a great courtyard
paved with stones, and surrounded by doorways of very rich workmanship. In
the centre of the court there was a great pool of water, and this court was
three hundred paces wide. The court led to the body of the building, by a
very broad and lofty doorway, ornamented with gold an blue patterns on glazed
tiles, richly and beautifully worked. On top of this doorway there was the
figure of a lion and a sun, which are the arms of the lord of
Samarcand; and though they say that Timour Beg ordered these palaces to be
built, I believe that the former lord of Samarcand gave the order; because
the sun and the lion which are here represented, are the arms of the lords of
Samarcand [and those which Timour Beg bears, are three circles like O’s drawn
in this manner OOO and this is to signify
that he is lord of the three parts of the world. He ordered this device to be
stamped on his coins, and on everything he had; and for this reason I think
that some other lord must have commenced this palace, before the time of
Timour Beg. The lord has these three O’s on his seals, and he has ordered
that those who are tributary to him shall have it stamped on the coins of
their countries.”] That is to say that the emblem of
Timur Beg when Lord of Samarcand (1363-1406) may have been a lion and
sun indeed. This emblem can be explained by the fact that his great
grandfather Karachar Nevian was a minister of Chagatai..... “he ruled with
justice and moderation for many years, and established his own tribe of
Berlus round the town of Kesh, near Samarcand. He became Sepoh Salar or general of Chagatai’s forces, and the title was
made hereditary in his family.” [7] This would explain the emblem of the
sun and lion in the Kesh Palace, as it corresponds with the title of Beg.
Depending of which tradition was followed, the sun was a red disc or a faced
sun radiant. That is
to say that the emblem of Timur Beg when Lord of Samarcand (1363-1406) may have
been a lion and sun indeed. This emblem can be explained by the fact that his
great grandfather Karachar Nevian was a minister of Chagatai..... “he ruled
with justice and moderation for many years, and established his own tribe of
Berlus round the town of Kesh, near Samarcand. He became Sepoh Salar or
general of Chagatai’s forces, and the title was made hereditary in his
family.”[8] This
would explain the emblem of the sun and lion in the Kesh Palace, as it
corresponds with the title of Beg. Depending of which tradition was followed,
the sun was a red disc or a faced sun radiant. During
the period when Timur Lenk was still Emir of Transoxiana, it is quite
possible that he used the emblem of the sun and the lion as Clavijo suggests.
Later, probably after the conquest of Baghdad in 1393, the symbols are
changed. |
||||
|
Seal |
||||
|
Timur's
personal emblem was another equally ancient astral symbol, the three-ball
motif, so common in Sāsānian ornament and already in use at that
time on banners. [9] Timur displayed it on his
buildings, his coins, and his seal. [10] Clavijo writes: [.....the arms] which Timour Beg
bears, are three circles like O’s drawn in this manner OOO
and this is to signify that he is lord of the three parts of the world. He
ordered this device to be stamped on his coins, and on everything he had; and
for this reason I think that some other lord must have commenced this palace,
before the time of Timour Beg. The lord has these three O’s on his seals, and
he has ordered that those who are tributary to him shall have it stamped on
the coins of their countries.” [11] Het sterrensymbool wordt eerder aangetroffen op de uniformen van de soldaten van de Il-Khans
Silver 1/4 Tangka, Æ 16 mm. Samarqand mint,
1388-1403 AD The three circles represent
the badge of Tamerlane. The inscription names Tamerlane as subject to the
Chagatayid overlord Mahmud. By this time, Tamerlane had usurped all effective
power, but nonetheless continued to acknowledge the Chagatayid overlords in
name.
Silver Tangka, Æ 28 mm Herat mint, 1388-1403 AD The three circles represent the badge of Tamerlane. Tamerlane names
himself as subject to the Chagatayid overlord Mahmud despite having complete
power at this time.
Mongolian lion’s throne with the three jewels of Buddhism Also, the seal with the “three circles like
O’s” was perhaps of Buddhist origin as it displays the three jewels of
Buddhism (tri-ratna or konchog sum) symbolizing the holy triad
Buddha, Dharma and Sangha here supported by two lions In a corrupted form the three balls of Timur
Lenk came to be documented in the
Constanz Chronicle of Ulrich
Richental.[12] With
the legend:
Ulrich Richental. 1418 ca. fol. 130b. Primus
imperator Tartharorum, qui confinis est Yndie, et est sibi impositum nomen
Magnus Chanis, das ist der groß Chan oder hund. Der ist her mit gewalt über die 6
kaiserthům in der Tartharie, und můß doch ain herren han, der sin
vicary sy von Ordo, der doch hie abgezaichet ist. Und was hie ain herolt,
der by mir auß. |
||||
|
Miranshah |
Western Persia
1405-1408 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Khalil |
Transoxiana
1405-1409 Western Persia
1409-1411 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Shahrukh |
Khurasan 1405-1447 Transoxiana
1409-1447 |
|||
|
Shah Rukh
(Persian: شاهرخ Šāhrokh) (20 August 1377– 13 March 1447) was the
ruler of the Timurid
Empire between
1405 and 1447. He was
the son of Timur (Tamerlane). However, Shah Rukh ruled only
over the eastern portion of the empire established by his father, comprising
most of Persia and Transoxiana, the western territories having been lost to
invaders in the aftermath of Timur's death. In spite of this, Shah Rukh's
empire remained a cohesive dominion of considerable extent throughout his
reign, as well as a dominant power in Asia. |
||||
|
The
heraldic emblems to be associated with the rule of Shahrukh can be found on
the Regsitan in Samarkand. The
madrasa of Smanarkand was built from 1417 to 1420. Some buildings at the
Registan are very close to it in the west. This right angular madrasa has two
floors of 56x81 meters. The facade is directed towards the main square, and
the structure can be widely seen with its height of 16.5 m. Next to it there
are gardens with various types of flowers and trees. The arch is 32 meters in
height. This
madrasa is decorated with big size symbols of tigers and suns. These are the
symbols of the the commanders of the Timurid Empire
Sher dor madrasa tigers, Samarkand (1417-’20) The
insignia of rank are walking tigers with faced suns radiant on their backs. These insignia
are for imperial commanders of the first or second rank |
||||
|
Design of a simurg for a quiver. Iran. Paper, 1st ½ 15 th
cent. Staatsbibliothek Diez A fol. 73,
S. 49/1 (Gierlichs cat. n° 39) From 15th century Timurid empire we know a tiger and a sun and a lion and a sun. Another emblem is a lion’s head.
The
armies of Timur e Lang or Tamerlane
(1336-1405), one of the post-Mongol Turkmen warriors from Central Asia also
witnessed the appearance of the simultaneous lion-sun motif. The above
depiction is attributed to the year 1450 by Martini. [13]. (Here however not a lion but a
tiger seems to be depicted!) |
||||
|
Ulugh Beg |
1447-1449 |
|||
|
The state
created by Tamerlane was unstable and after his death in 1405 began to
crumble.In 1405, his grandson, the son of Miran
Shah, Khalil
Sultan, came to
power in Maverannahr. The youngest son of Timur Shahrukh (1409-1447) managed to save Khorasan, Afghanistan and Maverannahr (Transoxiana). He transferred the
capital to Herat, and appointed his son Ulugbek, a prominent scholar, who
provoked discontent among conservative clergy , as ruler in Samarkand. In 1417-1420, Ulugbek built a madrasah in Samarkand, which became the
first building in the Registan architectural ensemble. Ulugbek
invited a large number of astronomers and mathematicians of the Islamic world
to this madrasah. The other two madrassas were built in Gijduvan and Bukhara.The inscription (hadith of the Prophet Muhammad) was preserved on the portal of
the latter: “The pursuit of knowledge is the duty of every Muslim and
Muslima” In general, all the numerous inscriptions on the madrasah encourage
people to do science. Under
Ulugbek, Samarkand became one of the world centers of medieval science. Here,
in Samarkand in the first half of the 15th century, a whole scientific school
arose around Ulugbek, bringing together prominent astronomers and
mathematicians - Giyasiddin Jamshid Kashi, Kazizade Rumi, al-Kushchi. At that
time, the historian Hafizi
Abru lived in
Samarkand , who wrote a remarkable work on the history of Central Asia, the
famous physician Mavlono Nafis, the poets Sirazhiddin Samarkandi, Saqqaki, Lutfi , Badakhshi and others. Ulugbek's
main interest in science was astronomy. In 1428, the construction of the
Ulugbek Observatory
was completed , the main instrument of which was a wall quadrant with a radius of 40 meters and
with a working part from 20 ° to 80 °, which had no equal in the world. The
main scientific work of Ulugbek is rightfully considered to be "Ziji
Jadidi Guragani" or "New Guraganov Astronomical Tables". The
author completed this work in 1444 after thirty years of painstaking work and
astronomical observations. The astronomical guide was soon translated into
Latin and, along with the Almagest of Claudius Ptolemy and the astronomical
tables of the
Castilian king Alphonse X.
He was a manual on astronomy in all observatories in Europe [35]. The
accuracy of these tables exceeded all previously achieved in the East and in
Europe. Only in the XVII century. Tycho
Braga managed to
achieve accuracy comparable to Samarkand observations, and then surpass it.
It is not surprising that the Zij Ulugbek constantly attracted the attention
of astronomers, both in the East and in Europe. In 1428, Ulugbek carried out an important monetary
reform in the country, which had a beneficial effect on the state economy. After the death of Shahrukh in 1447, civil strife began in the country. In 1447, after the death of his father, Ulugbek
became the head of the ruling dynasty, but in 1449 he was killed by his son Abd al
Latif (1449-1450). The following rulers Abu
Said (1451-1469) and Sultan
Ahmed Mirza (1469-1494) enjoyed the patronage of the clergy, headed
by the head of the Naqshbandi order, Sheikh Khoja
Ahrar. In
Khorasan (Herat), Sultan Hussein
of Baikar ruled (1469-1506), who patronized the culture. At his court,
the prominent poet Alisher
Navoi was the
vizier.
A king with a headdress of a panthers’ mask From: 7000 jaar perzische kunst no. 43 King
Kajumarth and his courtiers. From a World History of Hafiz Abru (†1430). H.
22. cm. Middle of the 15th c. Coll. Kofler-Trunigen, Luzern. Z. 570, P. 1086. As the
spots are tripartite, the skin must be of a spotted panther (Pantera Pardus – Felidae) which became
the insignia of a commander of the third rank in the Mongolian rank-system |
||||
|
'Abd al-Latif |
1449-1450 |
|||
|
At the
center of the recto side of this folio is a shamsa, or sunburst, an exquisite
symmetrical pattern of floral and geometric shapes painted in precious
pigments and gold to reference divine light. The shamsa might have been
intended to contain a name or portrait identifying the manuscript’s original
owner, but in this case it is empty.
A shamsa
in an illuminated qur’an, copied by ‘Abd al-latif al-sayfi uzbek, egypt,
mamluk, dated 876 AH/1472 AD |
||||
|
'Abd-Allah |
1450-1451 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Abu Sa'id |
1451-1469 |
|||
|
Zafarnama,
or Book of Victory, ca 1467. From The John Work Garrett Library of The Johns
Hopkins University. |
||||
|
Ahmad |
1469-1494 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Mahmud |
1494-1495 |
|||
|
Ruler in his
court Book of Kings of Ali Mirza (killed 1494), brother of
Shah Ismail Mongol School, end of 15th century Evkaf Museum, Istanbul Above his
throne a feline’s (lion’s) head between two pennons |
||||
|
Baysunqur |
1495-1497 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Babur |
1497-1498 |
|||
|
The lion-and-sun motif is unmistakable on this miniature:
Page of a end of 15th-century manuscript of the Kitâb al-mawâlid (Book of Nativities) by Abû Ma'shar al-Balkhî
(787-886AD) (BNF Arabe 2583 fol. 15v). Within
the larger frame there is the emblem of de Lion and the sun, together with a
seated man probably personifying the ruler or an official. In the
smaller frames are the courtiers called mubids
in another context with their attibutes: a kneeling black bearded man with an
axe; a writer with an open book; a lawyer; a female musician with a lute; a
helmeted warrior with a sword and a cut head. [14] |
||||
|
'Ali |
1498-1500 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Babur |
1500-1501 |
|||
|
Ozbeg
conquest of Transoxiana |
||||
|
|
||||
|
Ismail |
1501-1524 |
|||
|
From the
reign of the first Safavid Shah, Ishmael (1501-24), the lion-and-sun symbol
is said to have been in use in Persia. This Shah had taken it over from his
grandfather, Sheikh Junayd. The author who mentions this describes the symbol
as “this new ensign, viz. Venus [vert], a lion couchant, Sol [or], the sun
orient in his face, of the same: minted also in their brass medals, and (as a
tie of amity) accepted of by the Great Mogul and other neighboring Princes in
India. ” (Ackermann Ph .: A survey of Persian Art, 1939. T.III p. 2780 n. 5). Chardin describes the lion and sun flag and
other banners and standards of his period: ...As legend and in place of a
device they put on these flags their credo, or a quotation from the Quaran,
or the two-pointed sabre of Aly... or a lion with a rising sun on its back. |
||||
|
Tahmasp |
1524-1576 |
|||
|
Fête princière dans un jardin. Iran, 1er moitié du XVIe siècle Gouache et or sur papier Legs R. Koechlin, 1932 K 3433 (Musée du Louvre, Paris) Het baldakijn versierd met simurgs en herten. 1530 ca Simurg in
gesprek met Zal. (Gierlichs
cat. n° 41) |
||||
|
Ismail II
|
1576-1577 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Sultan Muhammad |
1577-1587 |
|||
|
A Curious Coat of arms by DRISS SULAYMAN PASHA
From the
reign of Sultan Muhammad of Persia (1577-1587), dates the curious coat of
arms of Persia under the title "Von Persia" in Martin Schrot's
"Wappenbuch". The coat of arms is probably taken from an older coat
of arms, I think that of Conrad Grüneberg from 1483. It represents the top
half of a person dressed in a dalmatic seen from behind. For crrst a seated
dog on a grand helmet and diagonally behind the shield a scepter with a
sphere and a six-pointed star. On either side of the shield are two smaller
shields, the left one with a boat with the letters KAT CAY on it, the right
one with a tau cross over which a dalmatic is draped. The dog
undoubtedly refers to the "Magnus Chanis" or "Grosser
Hund" mentioned by Ulrich Richental in his chronicle of the Council of
Constance. The scepter is possibly a fantasy of the writer as the Persian
monarchs are never depicted with a scepter in hand. The star is perhaps the
star of Bethlehem (thus characterizing the Persian konig / shah as one of the
Three
Magi). By the way, the symbol of the Shah of Persia at that time was
already a lion-with-sun.
However,
the depicted man should not be seen as standing with his back to the viewer
but as veiled. On Persian
miniatures from the sixteenth century onwards, Shia Imams are also depicted veiled. This can be seen, for
example, in this detail of the print “The
Shah of Khorasan comes to the rescue of the water people against the attacks
of a demon”. ) "Shah of Khorasan" was the nickname of Ali
ar-Rida, the 8th Imam of the Shia who lived in the 9th century and is buried
in Mashad, Iran, The “coat
of arms” of Persia at Martin Schrot thus depicts a Shia spiritual leader. It
is not yet clear what the two small shields stand for. The dalmatic may refer
to the “mantle of the Redeemer” which is kept in the cathedral of Mshketi,
Georgia, and which was among the relics of the Bagration (Georgian) royal
house. In that case it is a coat of arms for Georgia (then a vassal of Persia).
Another possibility is that this concerns the mantle of the Prophet (the
so-called burda), which is said to have been
burned by Hülegü in Baghdad in 1260, but a copy of which is also kept in
Istanbul. In that case it concerns the coat of arms of the eyâlet (province) of Baghdad. |
||||
|
Abbas I, the Great |
1587-1629 |
|||
|
Since 1603: Persia Simurg killed by Isfandiyar Iran 1605
Staatsbibliothek Ms.or.fol. 4251, Bl.479b. (Gierlichs cat n° 42) 1620 ca Jahangir and Shah Abbas I the Great
of Persia (1587-1629) Painting of Abul Hassan. Freer Gallery of Art,
Smithsonian Institute, Washington n°
48.19B. Jahangir,
standing on a lion and a big sun rayonnant and a crescent supported by two
angel-heads . Shah Abbas staande op een lam
Series/Portfolio:
Effigie naturali dei maggior prencipi et piu valorosi capitani di questa eta
con l'arme loro Artist:Giacomo
Franco (Italian, Venice 1550–1620 Venice) Publisher:
Published by Giacomo Franco (Italian, Venice 1550–1620 Venice) Published
in: Venice Date: 1596 Medium:
Engraving Dimensions: Sheet: 9 7/8 × 7 1/16 in. (25.1 ×
18 cm) Plate: 7 15/16 × 5 5/16 in. (20.2 × 13.5 cm) Classification:
Prints Credit
Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1957 Accession Number: 57.506(33) [15] |
||||
|
Safi I |
1629-1642 |
|||
|
Coin from Kandahar 1058 H/1641AD Lion and sun |
||||
|
Abbas II |
1642-1666 |
|||
|
Portrait of
Shah Abbas II, bust-length, turned to the right, wearing turban adorned with
feather and surmounted by crown, cape fastened at shoulder with jewel, and
frogged tunic; in oval frame with ribbon tied in the upper part, and coat of
arms in the lower part Engraving. Sultan Muhammad Mirza
better known by his dynastic name of Shah Abbas II was shah of Persia from
1642 to 1666. he was the seventh shah of the Safavid dynasty. https://iroon.com/irtn/photo/3109/abbas-ii-of-persia/ |
||||
|
Safi II ( =
Sulayman I 1668) |
1666-1694 |
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
Coin Safavid Period From the time of Shah Suleiman I Kept in the David
Collection, Copenhagen, Denmark
Coin from Kandahar, 1085-‘86AH/1674-‘75AD Lion and sun,
inscription on the reverse The Shah and His Courtiers ‘Ali Quli Jabbadar Fol 98a from an album of Painting and Calligraphy Isfahan, circa 1660s or 1670s Opaque watercolor, silver and gold on paper; 28.2 x 42.1 cm. the saint petersburg branch of the
institute of oriental studies, russian academy of sciences, e 14. Flag: Geel, drie witte afnemende manen 2 en 1 (Ackermann p. 2781, vlaggenkaart) Flags of the world: 1669-1670 : a seventeenth century manuscript / with commentary and historical annotations by Kl. Sierksma |
||||
|
Sultan Husayn |
1694-1722 |
|||
|
Coin, AH1113/1700AD Lion walking to the sinister, faced rising
sun on its back
Coin
from Kerman – تبریز AH 1126 /AD 1713 Obverse: Lion walking to the dexter with its tail up in
floral garden Reverse: zarb-e falus Tabriz ضرب فلوس تبریز
An Iranian
delegation led by Mohammad-Reza Beg visits French dignitaries at Versailles,
August 1715. Note the Iranian flag with Lion and Sun motif
carried by the “Alamdar-Bashi” or standard
bearer at Versailles. [16]
Coin from Kandahar, 1136AH/1718AD Lion and sun
Coin from Kerman
1134 AH/1721AD Obverse: Lion walking to the sinister with
its tail down in floral garden. Faced rising sun on its back. Reverse: zarb-e falus Kirman ضرب فلوس کرمان |
||||
|
|
||||
|
Mahmud |
1722-1725 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Ashraf |
1725-1729 |
|||
|
Flag: White, three black lions 2 & 1.
(Ackermann p. 2781) |
||||
|
Safavid
Dynasty |
||||
|
|
||||
|
Tahmasp
II |
1729-1732 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Abbas
III |
1732-1736 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Nadir |
Regent 1732-1736 Shah 1736-1747 |
|||
|
Royal seal with Lion and Sun motif from the reign of Nader
Shah. Note the word Al-Molkollah (Arabic: The
earth as God) within the sun. [17] Flag: Nādir Shāh had two imperial
standards: “one of them was in stripes of red, blue and white, and the other
of red, blue, white and yellow, without any other ornament” (Ackerman, p. 2781) a. Red, Blue, White (Which is also the
Russian flag upside down) b. Red, Blue, White, Yellow
|
||||
|
Adil |
1747-1748 |
|||
|
Ibrahim |
1748-1749 |
|||
|
Shahrukh |
1748-1749 |
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
1749-1773 |
||||
|
|
||||
|
Sulayman II |
1749-1750 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Ismail III Karim Khan of the
Zand Dynasty |
1750-1773 Regent 1750-1779 |
|||
|
Achievement of Ali Mirza (†1494) [18] Arms: A lion passant charged with a faced sun
radiant Or Supporters: Two flags on their poles in saltire, the one
per bend a full faced moon surrounded by 8 five-pointed stars, its ball a
five-pointed star; the one per bend sinister a faced sun radiant, its ball a
crescent. Legend: Schah
Myrsa Roy de Perse
This flag is
represented on “Nieuwe Tafel van alle de Zeevarende Vlaggen des Werelts” from the middle of the 18th century. The flag is: Five breadths blue,
yellow green, yellow and blue, the first and last charged with three golden roses and two white crescents
alternating; the second and third charged with two red square crosses; the
third and middle charged with the sword of Ali (dhu ‘l fakr) and a
yellow rose between two white crescents. Legend: Pav: du Mogol des Perses.
Persian flags on the Nieuwe Tafel These flags may be
ascribed to chief commander Karim Khan who should have flown the flag with the
Sword of Ali, symbol of the commander in chief. The other flag may have been
of Abolfath Khan who was the Prime Minister, The arms as
given by Diderot may be ascribed to Ali Morad Khan who was the regent.
The Lion-Sun motif as seen on a tombstone dated
to the Zand dynasty (1750-‘94) [19] |
||||
|
Afsharids in Khurasan |
1750-1796 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Shahrukh |
Restored in Khurasan
only, 2nd term 1750-1796 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
© Hubert de Vries 2020.09.16.