Page 159 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

pear to have been more decorative than ceremonial or func-
tional, and were frequently presented as gifts. For instance,
during bayram celebrations the sultan received daggers or
dagger handles from goldsmiths, gold inlayers, gemstone
carvers, and the members of the kündekari society. He must
have also sent daggers as diplomatic gifts to neighboring
states, for some superb examples are housed in European
royal collections.
Most of the Ottoman daggers have a straight double-edged
blade with a pierced central groove and are inlaid with gold
scrolls, at times also with Persian or Turkish verses. The han-
dles generally have a flattened grip with swelling sides and a
lobed pommel; they are made of ivory, mother-of-pearl, jade,
or other precious materials, often inlaid with gold and set
with gems. Some daggers have matching scabbards, employ-
ing the same materials and designs as those used on the
88
hilt. There are also several daggers with slightly curving
blades or cylindrical hilts. None of the known examples bears
the signature of the maker or gives the name of the sultan
and the year in which it was made except one.
The exception (91) is the dagger with a carved rock-crystal
hilt and pierced steel blade, both inlaid with gold. The hilt
has a lobed pommel with carved and gold-inlaid inscriptions.
The upper lobe on the front contains the phrase "feth-i
acem" (conquest of Iran); below it is a square, flanked by
mirror-image inscriptions. The square is divided into sixteen
compartments, each with a letter; the numerical values of the
letters total sixty-six, the same as those in the word Allah.
Written on either side in mirror-image is "malik ül-mülk"
(sovereign of the land). The upper lobe on the back contains
the words for year and date, below which is another square
with its letters totaling 920 (that is, the year in the Islamic
calendar that corresponds to A.D. 1514/1515), flanked by the
same mirror-image phrase used on the front. Small turquoise 91 (right). Gold-inlaid dagger with jeweled rock-crystal hilt made for Sultan
stones with plain gold collars decorate the lobes of the pom- Selim I in 1514/1515 (Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayí Müzesi, 2/254)
mel, while a larger ruby is mounted on the apex. The flat- 92 (left). Gold-inlaid dagger with carved ivory hilt, mid-sixteenth century
tened grip with slightly swelling sides is carved with hatayi (Riyadh, Rifaat Sheikh al-Ard Collection)
and rumi scrolls; the lower band shows a series of trefoils
framed by heart-shaped elements.
Both sides of the blackened steel blade have cartouches
with floral scrolls at the upper and lower portions and rumi generally have angular sides and beaded bands encircling the
braids applied to either side of the pierced center, which is rounded pommel, and a slightly swelling grip. One of these
partially divided in two by a thin strip with a palmette head. (92) has a lobed pommel, decorated with scrolls bearing ha-
This decorative feature was commonly used on daggers pro- tayi blossoms and rumis; the lobes create ten convex panels
duced in the first half of the sixteenth century. along the upper edges, each filled with a blossom. The grip
This exceptional dagger must have been made for Selim I and its sides repeat the design used on the pommel. The flo-
to commemorate his conquest of Tabriz. The style of hatayis ral elements are rendered in relief, their details finely incised.
and rumis used on the grip recalls that employed in the silver A silver band joins the hilt to the blade.
tray and jugs discussed earlier, prototypes of which can be The curved steel blade has a blackened panel embellished
traced to manuscripts produced in the second half of the with gold scrolls; the upper portion shows rumis flanking tre-
fifteenth century. 89 foils and the lower hatayis, with a cypress tree placed at the
The shape of the rock-crystal hilt appears on several carved very tip. It has been suggested that the shape of the blade is
ivory examples dating from the mid-sixteenth century. They typical of a date slightly later than the hilt; 90 however, the

158