persian swordmakers

8/11/2019 Persian Swordmakers

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PERSIAN SWORDMAKERSManouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani

Introduction

Similar to high quality Japanese Nihonto swords that are signed with their makers mark,

some high quality Persian swords also bear their makers mark in the form of a gold

inlaid cartouche on the blade! "owe#er, most Persian swords are signed on the blades

unlike the Japanese swords, which are signed on the tang! Ne#ertheless, some highquality Persian swords are also signed on their tangs! $nfortunately as Persian swords

cannot be disassembled easily as is the case in Japanese Nihonto, many researchers and

museum curators are not aware of this fact! %isassembling the handle of a Persian sword

would automatically lead to the destruction of its handle slabs as they are glued to the

tang!

&he ob'ecti#e of this article is to introduce some famed Persian swordmakers and their

work! &he first part of the article deals with the legendary Persian swordsmith


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(ssadoll)h! &he second part introduces Kalbeali! &he last part of the article discusses

some Persian swordmakers whose works are kept in the military museums of *ran!

The swordmaker Assadollh Es ahni + -. 012345

&he aura of mystery which surrounds the name of some makers of Nihonto swords such

as swords by the legendary Masamune can also be found in Persian blades signed with

the name of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni + -. 012345 ! &hese swords are generally gold inlaid

with the following phrase7 Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 89: + -. 012345 that translates

into ;&he work of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni< and ob#iously=allegedly re#eals a makers mark!>ne factor that needs to be taken into consideration is that (ssadoll)h is a name e#en

used in todays *ran and it literally means ;&he lion of ?od< that was=is used as a title of

the first *mam of the Shiites @"aArat e (liB and the fourth Caliph of the Sunnites! &hus

the phrase amal-e Assadollh Esfahni actually can be eDplained as follows7amal 89: @nB

means ;work,< Assadollh + -. @nB means ;the lion of ?od,< and Esfahni 012345 @ad'B

means ;from 6sfah)n

swords! >ther #ariants of this signature also eDist as Amal-e Assadollh89: + -. @&he

work of (ssadoll)hB, Amal-e Assad Esfahni 0123E5-.89: @the work of (ssad

6sfah)niB, and Assadollh Esfahni + -. 012345 @(ssadoll)h 6sfah)niBF!

(mong *ranian smiths, (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni is supposedly the most famous *ranian

swordmaker, but although the blades signed with his name are numerousG, his history

remains mysteriousH! *t is e#en claimed that (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni was a genius in making

F Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7FL F HB!G See Mayer @F LO L 7FB!H See Kobylinski G 7 FB!


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swords and that (ssadoll)hs blades are able to sha#e hair as well as cut iron bars! &hey

are reputedly still in eDcellent condition today e#en after years! &he gold inlaid mark

Amal-e Assad Esfahni 0123E5-.89: or Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 89: + -. 012345

was generally accompanied by another phrase, reading Bande-ye h-e velyat Abbs

Q2R:TUVW2XW-1Y that literally means, ;&he sub'ect= sla#e of the kingdom=

dominion=trusteeship of (li, (bb)s!< &his translates into the following7 ;(bb)s is the

representati#e of (lis rule and acts on his behalf!< Note thatbande W-1Y @nB means

;sla#e=sub'ect,< h W2X @nB means ;king,< andvelyat TUV @nB means ;country,

trusteeship,< and (bb)s Q2R: @nB is a kings name!

(ccording to the %igital ZeDicon of %ehDod),bande W-1Y means ;sub'ect< or ;sla#e!b#iously, people who ser#e or inhabit the realm ruled by a king are his sub'ects!

Velyat TUV means ;kingdom< or ;ruled land


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manuscript "ostam al #avrix, a story is related about how )h 6sm)il killed a bear

when he was thirteen years old and also killed a lion while hunting when he was in *raq,

stating that )h 6sm)il inherited the bra#ery ofha$rat-e h-e velyat TUVW2X`

@referring to "aArat e (liB! Iurther, one should notice that in the manuscript#a%id

Besrat , it is reported that the period of the rule of a kingasr-e &deh 5: W2 2 is

written on some swordsO! &hus, many researchers ha#e assumed that the combination of

two pharses Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 89: + -. 012345 and Bande-ye h-e velyat

Abbs Q2R:TUVW2XW-1Y indicate that the famed swordmaker (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni should

ha#e li#ed during the period of )h (bb)s Safa#id! ut no clear historical e#idencecould be pro#ided to substantiate this claim! Ne#ertheless, it is noteworthy that historical

e#idence for the eDistence of other artists in other fields in historical chronicles, such as

the calligrapher Mir 6m)d, the painter eA) (bb)si K) )ni, astronomer Mol)n) Jal)ledin

Mohammad aAdi, the physician "akim af)i 6sfah)ni, the musician Masib v)n, the

carpet maker Nematoll)h Jo q)ni, and the architect >st)d (li (kbar 6sfah)ni, 'ust to

name a few, are clearly mentioned! ut all these manuscripts are silent on the eDistence

of a swordsmith named (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni! (s far as my research shows three

manuscripts in Persian mention the name of (ssad as a swordmaker as will be described

in the following!

*n the Safa#id period manuscript#a$a'ore-ye (asrbdi ) , it is reported that a master

swordmaker named*std +albeali, was talking about his father (ssad -. 7

O See MirA) Zotfall)h @FO FO O7FFF or FF 7F F O7 xB!8 See Miri @F O =FH 7H L HH B! See Nasr)b)di 6sfah)ni @F F=FHFO7 B!


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!-2 . 0 Y z _{_TX X | - } -V~ -. 8 -_ 0

*std +albeali amirgar a$ vled xod ostd Assad na,l mi'ard !

Master Kalbeali the swordmaker was talking about his father master (ssadx!

>ne should note that MirA) Mohammad &)her Nasr)b)di 6sfah)ni was born in F GO

"egira @F F C!6!B and started to write the book#a$a'ore-ye (asrbdi in F H "egira

@F OG C!6!B and li#ed until the end of the rule of )h Soleym)n Safa#id )h Soleym)

Safa#id ruled from F LG F OO "egira=F F C!6!xF ! (nother mention of the name

(ssad -. as a swordmaker can be found in the manuscript#a%id Besrat written byMirA) Zotfall)h in Persian in *ndia! &he date of completion is contained in the book7 if

the )i hamAatum is counted, as it is usually in such treatises, a most likely year would

be FFF "egira @FO FO O C!6!B and without ) it would be FF "egira @F

C!6!B! *f one takes both dates of completion into consideration, namely FO FO O C

and F F O C!6!, it is clear that the manuscript#a%id Besrat was written during the

rule of )h Solt)n "ossein Safa#id @F FOGG C!6!B! *n the manuscript#a%id Besrat ,

MirA) Zotfall)h eDplains that the *ranian sword is calledi'eri T by the &urks and is

made in 6sfah)n @*sfahanB especially by (ssad . , who, he says, is like the S)leh \25

from *ndia, and his son Kalbeali 0\:\ ! &he *ranian swords made by (ssad . and

Kalbeali 0\:\ and other *ranian smithsx cut oan } armor #ery well, and MirA)

Zotfall)h eDplains that if he were to report all of the good qualities of *ranian swords

according to what he had seen and heard it would seem like an eDaggeration! &he teDt

reads in original as follows7

_TX X 0 T 2 T -TV{ .122E5 }5 _2 -. 8 \2 .12

F (llan and ?ilmour @G 7F GB report about the mention of the name of a swordsmith named (ssad!


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the best in cutting hard ob'ects! (lthough it cuts e#erything it cuts mail armor well as far

as possible! Cutting mail armor is due to the steel sword! "alf of the side of the sword

towards the edge is hardened! (nd its hardening is due to oiliness=fleDibility which is

done in oil essence and soap and other ingredients! $pon hard strikes it bends, but it

ne#er breaks! *t keeps its strong edge most of the time as well! Swordx connoisseurs

keep it with lots of interests! Swords from 6sfah)n *sfahanx are better than those from

vor)s)n Khorasanx and om and other places in the country velyat x! ecogniAing the

swords from the country velyat [ referring to *ran herex as they eDplain is due to its

fleDibility and the quality of its steel similar toasil noblex swords! (lthough the steel ofthe country velyat x comes from *ndia, *n *ndia they cannot make the same quality

swordsx and they cannot reach their cutting abilityx!

&his again pro#es that that there was not only one smith called (ssadoll)h who li#ed

during the reign of )h (bb)s Safa#id who ruled from FL O F G C!6! *n the

Deratolmaref-e Bo$org-e Eslmi @&he ?reat *slamic 6ncyclopaediaB, Sems)r FF

wrongly assumes that the first time the name of the smith (ssadoll)h was mentioned was

in the 2ogrfiy-ye Esfahn @&he ?eography of 6sfah)nB which was written in FG

"egira @F OO C!6!B! *n the manuscript 2ogrfiy-ye Esfahn the name of (ssad 6sfah)ni

is mentioned as followsFG7

^:2 |2. T Y2. -2T -1-VY V U2 _2T.Y ] 8T } T \V TV2 ^- 0.~X

2 T _ Y _3Y | -. 023E } 2 2 2 .V-1 } X V V ^X -1 ]

FF See Sems)r @F O=FHOO7GLOB!FG &ah#ild)r 6sfah)ni @F =FH G7F OB!


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! 2 ] V -|2.T _{ 2 V~ X - -X2Y U 2X:2 _2T.Y

2em%at amirs$3 be, $iyd budand va hl besyr 'am3 Avyel in dolat-e vid

moddat ye' axsi &eyd ode bud amir misxt be marteb behtar as Assad Esfahni va

'rhye hendustn3 4on motari va moave, nadt davm ham &eid na'ard3 5n

$amn ham xub mis$and a,ar xhn dte bad6 alln mat%en besyr 'am xaridr

ast !

Swordmakers7 &here used to be many in the past but they are only few now! (t the beginning of this ;eternal go#ernment< referring to the period of Nassereldin )h )')rx,

there was a person smithx who made better swords than (ssad 6sfah)ni and the otherx

swords made in *ndia! "e the swordsmithx did not ha#e any supporters and clients, his

work did not sur#i#e! ut, they can still make good swords if there are clients, although

there is not enough demand from buyers to commission swordsx!

(s shown before, the assumption of Sems)r is not correct as the name of (ssadoll)h was

already mentioned in the manuscripts#a$a'ore-ye (asrbdi and#a%id Besrat ! ut as it

is clear from all three manuscripts, reference to (ssad is anectodal! *t is noteworthy that

all manuscripts refer to him as (ssad and not (ssadoll)h and only one manuscript uses

the last name 6sfah)ni!

&he problem of the eDistence of a large number of swords signed with the signature of

(ssadollah was already recogniAed by early research that assumed that some of these


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cartouches were added later to the blades to increase their #alue for sale to the 6uropean

marketsFH! esearch in G assumed that there were more than G blades bearing the

signature of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni in larger, knownx pri#ate collections and museums

outside *ran and the same number could presumably be found in smaller collections,

raising the number to at least to L swords carrying his signature[ it is highly

unlikely that (ssadoll)h made all these bladesF ! (dditionally, many of his blades

outside *ran are dated, the oldest known date being FF hegira @F C!6!B, while th

most recent one is FGGH "egira @F C!6!BFL! >ther researchers pro#ide a time span of

o#er three centuries for dated blades carrying the signature of (ssadoll)hF

! (notherfactor to be taken into consideration is that the style of calligraphy and handwriting are

often #ery different from one blade to another, making it impossible for all these blades

to ha#e been crafted by one swordmaker! (dditionally, the techniques of making these

signatures #ary drastically as does the handwritingFO!

NeDt to the association of (ssadoll)h with the era of )h (bb)s the ?reat @FL L F GO

C!6!B, there are also suggestions that that since many blades carrying the signature of

(ssadoll)h were made after the era of )h (bb)s the ?reat, (ssadoll)h presumably li#ed

in the era of )h (bb)s *** @FOHF H C!6!B! Ne#ertheless, research points out to t

eDistence of a blade signed with the signature ;&he work of Kalb (li, the son of

(ssadollah< in the FOth century, indicating that a certain smith named (ssadoll)h must

ha#e li#ed during the era of )h (bb)s the ?reatF ! FH See eller and ohrer @F LL7 B!F Kobylinski @G 7 FB[ also see Mayer @F LO L 7FB!FL Kobylinski @G 7 GB!F See Zebedynsky @F G7OFB!FO Zebedynsky @F G7OFB and Kobylinski @G 7 GB!18 See eller and ohrer @F LL7F B!


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Just in the collection of "enri Moser in ern, SwitAerland, there are FH Persian blades

signed with the signature of (ssadollah spanning a time span of F years, including the

kingdoms of successi#e *ranian kings from the Safa#id periodF ! *n the collection of

"enri Moser in ern, there are no blades signed with the signature of (ssadoll)h that can

be traced to the era of )h (bb)s G ! "owe#er, in the Military Museum of &ehran alone,

the Palace of Sad)b)d, there are four swords attributed to )h (bb)s * that are signed

with the signature of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni! (nother magnificent dated sword from the

Military Museum andar (nAali @number B with the cartouche Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 789 is clearly dated to FF O hegira, which was made during the reign of )h

(bb)s * Safa#id, who ruled from F H "egira @FL O F G C!6!B!

&here are also suggestions that the signature of (ssadoll)h may ha#e been used as a sign

of a workshopGF! >n the one hand, there are no signs of such a workshop in *ranian

chronicles[ on the other hand, one should re'ect the possibility that these blades are

counterfeit since a counterfeiter would ha#e copied the eDact cartouche instead of

creating new styles! Iurther, due to the fact that the dates on these blades #ary

dramatically from one to the other and encompass a wide range, a counterfeiter would

ha#e also included the eDact date of the reign of )h (bb)s rather than in#enting

different, unrelated dates! *t is not e#en clear which )h (bb)s is actually referred to

since there were three kings by that name7 )h (bb)s * @FL L F GO C!6!B, )h (bb)s *

@F G F O C!6!B, and )h (bb)s *** @FOHG FOH C!6!BGG! &he dates on the blades signedF SeeZeller and Rohrer (1955:99100).G SeeZeller and Rohrer (1955:100)GF See Kobylinski @G 7 GB!GG See Mayer @F LO L 7FB!


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with the name of (ssadoll)h kept in 6uropean museums range from F F C!6!GH

until F C!6!G and the cartouches carry the names of almost all Safa#id kings, such as

)h 6sm)il, )h &ahm)sp, )h (bb)s, )h Safi, )h "ossein, )h Soleym)n, and e#en

(f )rid N)der ShahGL! esearch also suggests the theory that the name of (ssadoll)h was

used in his workshop so that the swords could continue to be made under the name of the

master G ! "owe#er, in the same research it is stressed that two sons of (ssadoll)h signed

their blades with their own names and it is concluded that the #ery name of (ssadoll)h

was used as a sign of quality and eDcellence after his deathGO!

%ated swords with this makers mark complicate the issue e#en more! &here are se#en

dated eDamples that, rather than sol#ing the mystery behind the smith (ssadoll)hs life,

only complicate the matter as the time span o#er which these swords are purported to

ha#e been constructed is too long for a normal human life, let alone the acti#e life of a

smith! (mong the swords discussed in the book Arms and Armor from 5ran: #he Bron$e

Age to the End of the ;a ar


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#alue of a sword may be true of later swords bearing cartouches where one finds poorly

eDecuted inlayings or e#en o#erlayings, but all eDamples presented in the book mentioned

abo#e ha#e inscriptions with finely eDecuted calligraphy and workmanship and eDhibit

outstanding inlaying techniques! *f one assumes that the name ;(ssadoll)h< + -. was

the highest title gi#en to an *ranian smith who had attained a #ery high le#el of mastery in

making swords, the mystery of the eDistence of a #ariety of handwriting and calligraphy

styles o#er a long period of time appears to be sol#ed! ( person counterfeiting a

fraudulent cartouche would most likely imitate the original as precisely as possible in

order to decei#e buyers since he attempted to sell his swords under a fake name!(dditionally, a counterfeiter would surely ha#e ensured that the date on forged

cartouches eDactly matched the era of )h (bb)s Safa#id if there were only one famous

smith named (ssadoll)h during the rele#ant period! (nother fact reinforcing the

hypothesis that ;(ssadoll)h< + -. was presumably an honorary title bestowed during the

Safa#id period is that there are three dated swords bearing the phrase of Amal-e

Assdollah Esfahni from the same time period, namely Amal-e(ssadoll)h Esfahni 77=

@ 89: + -. 012345 B, Amal-e(ssadoll)h Esfahni 779 @ 89: + -. 012345 B, and

Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni @89: + -. 012345 B and Bande-ye .ah-e velyat Abbs

saneye 7>?@ Q2R: 1TUVW2XW 1Y BG , all originating during the period of )h Solt)n

"ossein Safa#id, who ruled from FF L FFHL "egira @F FOGG C!6!B! "owe#er,

three swords look different in many respects, especially regarding the handwriting style!

&his is further e#idence that, at least during the period of )h Solt)n "ossein Safa#ids

reign, #arious smiths signed blades using the signature Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni @

89: + -. 012345 B and further corroborates the theory that (ssadoll)h + -. was, indeed

G *bid!


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an honorary title! e should not forget, howe#er, that making a amir _T X in#ol#ed a

large number of different indi#iduals eDhibiting di#erse skills so that a number of

different people were in#ol#ed in making the #arious parts of a sword! >ne of these

groups was called fuldgarn _{-2\VE @steel workersB! *n the manuscript 2ogrfiy-ye

Esfahn it is stated that the fuldgarn _{-2\VE made the sword fittingsH ! &his is also

reported that the fuld'rn _2z-2\VE in the Safa#id era used steel for fretwork, for

decoration purposes on helmets, shields, and penholders, and for inscriptions on doors

and windows! Calligraphers aided them in the design of inscriptions on gol-e 'amar

z8{ @belt bucklesB! (dditionally, Safa#id steelworkers, specialiAed in making arms anarmor, cooperated with $argarn _{_ @goldsmithsB when decorating themHF! &his was

ob#iously the case in later periods as well! Iloor @G H7GGHB quotes &ah#ild)r, w

wrote about the gold engra#ers @na,,-e $argar 2j _{_B guild that engra#ed and inlaid

i#ory bones and lion fish teeth @walrus i#oryB for the grips of daggers @ xan ar_~B,

mirror framers, walking stick handles, and chess pieces! Clearly, calligraphers and

goldsmiths were also in#ol#ed in the writing and decoration of sword fittings! >ne could

theoriAe that one of the reasons behind the eDistence of #arious handwritings of a makers

mark could be due to this di#ision of labor! Irom Nasr)b)di 6sfah)nis writings, the

smith (ssadoll)h li#ed circa F C!6! within the reign of )h Soleym)n Safa#id, who

ruled from F OO FF L "egira @F F C!6!B! &here is an *ranian amir with two

gold inlaid inscriptions7 Amal-e Assadollh89: + -. @&he work of (ssadoll)hB and

.hanah Anbiy !ohammad TY @&he king of the prophets MohammHG!

&he swords and coins during the Mohammad )h )')r period also carried

H See &ah#ild)r 6sfah)ni @F =FH G7F B!HF 6hs)ni @G H=FH G7F LBHG See Petrasch, et al! @F F7F G[ F L F B!


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the inscription of.ahanah Anbiy !ohammad TY ! oth cartouches on

amir _T X ha#e the same style of handwriting and gold inlaying technique, which

would indicate that they originate from the same period, which was in this case the era of

Mohammad )h )')r! *t would therefore appear that a smith by the name of (ssadoll)h

also li#ed during the era of Mohammad )h )')r F H F C!6!x as well as during

that of )h Soleym)n Safa#id @F F C!6!BHH! ased on all the facts presented

abo#e, it is reasonable to assume that (ssadoll)h was a title of mastery gi#en to the best

sword smiths who were consequently allowed to mark their swords or products with the

prestigious phrase, Amal-e Assadollh89: + -. or Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni01234589: + -. ! &his would make perfect sense as (ssadoll)h + -. @Zion of ?odB was the title

of 6m)m (li and, thus, a title of great respect in a highly religious Shiite society such as

that of Safa#id *ran! &his would also eDplain why the name (ssadoll)h + -. was not put

on 'rdh @kni#esB and xan arh@daggersB! Making edged weapons was an operation

that in#ol#ed a great deal of di#ision of labour in *ran[ the group who crafted swords was

called amirs$2._ , and as the swordmaking industry was at its peak and deeply

appreciated and admired, it is no surprise that this title was gi#en to the best

swordmakers! (n anecdote from Dstn @ossein +ord .abestari, written during )h

(bb)s Safa#ids reign, re#eals that e#en )h (bb)s Safa#id was called ;&he descendant

of (ssadoll)h!< &he book relates that when the son of adaq v)n, the go#ernor of

&abriA, sent a messenger to )h (bb)s in 6sfah)n, the messenger entered the court and

addressed )h (bb)s as far$and$de-ye Assadollh al-,leb amir al-momenin aleyhe

salm W -_E + -. \2\ T19V _T9 U.\ T\: @&he descendant of the Zion of ?od,

HH SeeMoshtagh Khorasani (2006:156163).


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(ssadoll)h 6 the powerful= #ictorious uler of the elie#ersBH ! *n the )')r period

manuscript, "ostam al #avrix, the following title is used to refer to "aArat (li7

Assadollh al ;leb Ali ibn Abi #leb @ 0\: Y 2TY + -. \2\ @&he Zion of ?od (li,

the powerful the #ictorious, the son of (bi &)lebBHL! oth (ssadoll)h + -. andamir al-

momenin T19V _T9 are the titles of "aArat (li! Now, gi#en the fact that )h (bb

Safa#id called himself Kalbeali 0\ R\z @the dog of (liB and the descendant of

(ssadoll)h, it sheds light on the phrase, Amal-e +albali ibn Assad ollahx Esfahni01234

8 : 0\ R\z R -. ! *t is possible that being ranked as (ssadoll)h + -. was higher than the

rank of Kalbeali! &his hypothesis is also supported by the strict nature of the guildsduring the Safa#id period! eaching the le#el of mastery in any guild probably required

arduous eDaminations! &here is a possibility that mastership in a guild under the Safa#ids

and up to the )')r period was sub'ect to some sort of qualifying eDamination, such that a

candidate may ha#e been required to present a fine piece of his work for eDamination and

'udgment by the masters of the guildH ! *t could be that achie#ing the le#el of mastery in

the method of forging swords was rewarded with the title (ssadoll)h + -. @&he Zion of

?odBHO! &his title was gi#en to good swordsmen as reported in the manuscript "omu$-e

@am$e written in the second half of the FLth century C!6! that the title (ssad ibn Y -

was used to refer to swordsmen who deli#ered #ery powerful strikes with their swordsH!

The swordmaker Kal!eali0\ R\z

H See Dstn @ossein +ord .abestari @G H=FH G7 B!HL See sef @G H=FH G7FH B!H See (llan and ?ilmour @G 7H OB!HO Ior the makers mark signed with the name (ssadoll)h and its #(ryants on different swords seeMoshtagh Khorasani @G 7 H , cat!O , HG, cat! OH[ H , cat! O [ HL, cat! OL[ H , cat! O [ F

LF, cat! L[ , cat! H[ LF, cat! L[ LH, cat! [ L , cat! [ F, cat! H[ OF, cat!F H[ F,L H, cat!FHF[ LF , cat!F H[ LG , cat!FLF[ LG , cat!FLG[ LH , cat!FLO[ L O, cat!F B!H See "omu$-e @am$e @F =FHL "egira7LH B!


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(nother swordmakers cartouche that has led to lots of confusion is the phrase Amal-e

+albeali 0\ R\z8 : &he work of Kalbeali!< Note thatamal 8 : @nB means ;work,


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regard, it is assumed that there were two sons of (ssadoll)h + -. , Kalbeali 0\ R\z and

6sm)il 8:29. and is assumed that only one blade is signed ;&he work of 6sm)il son of

(ssadoll)h< F! %espite the fact that there are many swords signed with the name of

6sm)il, one cannot conclude that these were blades made by 6sm)il, the son of

(ssadoll)h, gi#en that 6sm)il was a #ery popular name during the Safa#id period!

Some researchers assume that since some cartouches bear the signature ;Kalbeali, the son

of (ssadoll)h,< this is an indication that (ssadoll)h was a li#ing personG as at the end of

Fth

century and the beginning of FOth

century, (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni had attained a #erygood reputation! Some e#en propose the possibility that (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni 012345

+ -. was the creator of the classical *ranian amir with the highly cur#ed blade, a

tradition that was set forth after his death and the death of his son, Kalbeali 0\ R\zH!

"owe#er, the theory cannot be substantiated that one smith named (ssadoll)h + -.

from the )h (bb)s W2 2R: period was the in#entor of this type of sword! >ne should

note that prior to the (rab Conquest of *ran and the introduction of *slam in HF C!6!, the

swords used in *ran were all straight bladed! &his means that the preceding Persian

dynasties, namely the (chaemenians @LL !C! HH !C!B, the Parthians @GL !C! G

(!%!B, and the Sassanians @G F (!%! LF (!%!B all used double edged, swords with

straight blades! (lthough the term amir is used in 6nglish and other 6uropean

languages to refer to the classical Persian amir with a high degree of cur#ature, one

should note that the term itself is a general one and refers to any type of sword, regardless

of its shape, in the Persian language! (s a matter of fact, this term has its origin in the

F See Mayer @F LO L 7GB!G See Kobylinski @G 7 GB!H See Zebedynsky @F G7OFB!


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Middle Persian Pahla#i, in which it was called amCr , afCrand ufCr @Iarah#ashi,

G Gb=FH F7HH B! &he roots of the word amir can be traced back to the early New

Persian language, before it was written in (rabic script! *n early New Persian, ;swordttoman &urkey! (s suggested in the entryamal-e

Assadollh Esfahni 89: + -. 012345 , the name of (ssadoll)h + -. was more likely to

ha#e been a title bestowed on the best sword smithsli#ing people, not to a certain

workshop! (ssuming that (ssadoll)h was a title of this nature, it may also sol#e the

problem of the name in +albeali 5bn Assadollh + -.0\ R\z R , indicating that the son of

a master made this sword! &he interesting question that arises here is whether Kalbeali

0\ R\z @the dog of (liB was a real name or a title as well! *t is important to take int

consideration that Kalbeali 0\ R\z is significantly a Shiite name, eDpressing humility and

de#otion towards (li! 6arly research already discusses the problem of the identification

of blades signed with Kalbali 0\ R\z and refers to three swords signed with this name,

dated from F F to FO C!6!, but the cartouches co#er the reigns of )h 6sm)il 8:29.

W2 , )h &ahm)sp W2 2 3, )h (bb)s W2 2R:, and )h Safi W2 0E5! ut e#en if

these cartouches refer to )h Safi ** @F OO FF L "egira under the name of Soleym)nB

See MacKenAie @F OFB!L See Zebedynsky @F G7OFB! See Mayer @F LO L 7HB!


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)h &ahm)sp ** @FFHL FF "egiraB, )h (bb)s *** @FF FF H "egiraB, and

6sm)il *** @FF H FF "egiraB, there is a maDimum time span of years and

minimum of , ob#iously too long a period for the acti#e life of a sword smithO! *t is

also important to take into consideration that e#en )h (bb)s * called himself +albe

stne Ali \ 2 . 0\: @dog on the threshold of (lis houseB, and some of his

contemporary historians, such as Jall)ledin Mohammad, eDclusi#ely used this title to

refer to him ! (n account #erifies that the name of Kalbali 0\ R\z was a title used to refer

to people of a certain rank and who were seyyed @descendants of the Prophet

Mohammads familyB! &his story recalls the encounter between


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dog of the house of (lix, by *ranian smiths, pro#ing their de#otion to (li 0\:L ! *t would

appear that these eDpressions refer to the makers signature, Amal-e +albeali 0\ R\8 : ,

as none of the eDpressions mentioned by Ialsafi appear word for word on swords from

the Safa#id period! &hus, it could also be that Kalbeali 0\ R\ was another title used by

Safa#id swordsmiths and most probably one le#el below (ssadoll)h + -. , the title of

6m)m (li 0\: himself! Ne#ertheless, the possibility cannot be ruled out that there were

different smiths named Kalbeali 0\ R\ whose fathers had reached the mastery le#el of

(ssadoll)h + -. ! &here is also report of a sword signed with the makers name,

+albeali orsni 02 _~0\ R\ , a smith who worked during the reign of )h (bb)s 2R:W2 and who made an undated sword that is kept in the Salar Jung Museum in

Secunderabad! ased on this assumption, it is safe to assume that other smiths who did

not ha#e this le#el of mastery or did not ha#e a father who had reached the le#el of

mastery attained by (ssadoll)h + -. signed their swords with their real namesLF!

Other sword makers

*t is noteworthy that other swordmakers signed their swords with their own names! Some

smiths who ha#e signed their names on the blades are as the following! eside sword

number one that is kept in eAa (bb)si Museum in &ehr)n, all these swords are kept in

*ranian military museums @Military Museum of &ehr)n, Military Museum of ir)A and

Military Museum of andar (nAaliB and were all part of the pri#ate collection of

Nassereldin )h )')r who had inherited these swords from his ancestors7

L Ialsafi @F =FHOL7 OF[ #olume HB!LF Ior the makers mark Kalbeali and its #ariants on different swords see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 HO,cat! OO[ H , cat! O [ O , cat!F [ L, cat!FG [ LHF, cat!FLHB!


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Sa a"id #eriod

FB >ne of the Safa#id period smiths was named S)deq who signed his swords with the

inscription amal-e de, 8 : -2 @&he work of S)deqB! Note thatamal 8 : @nB means

;work< and S)deq -2 @nB is a name! ( sword signed byamal-e de, 8 : -2 and

attributed to S)h 6sm)il is Safa#id and is kept in the eAa (bb)si MuseumLG!

GB (nother swordmaker from the Safa#id period was called Salm)n ol)m who signed

his swords with the inscriptionamal-e almn ;olm ] 8 : 2 \. @&he work of Salm)n

ol)mB[ note thatamal 8 : @nB means ;work< and Salm)n ol)m ] 2 \. @nB is a

name! ( sword signed byamal-e almn ;olm ] 8 : 2 \. and attributed to S)h SafiSafa#id is kept in the Military Museum of &ehr)nLH!

HB (nother smith from the Safa#id period was Mesri Moalam or Moalam Mesri who

signed his swords with the inscription Amal-e !esri !o%alam ]\8 : _5 or Amal-e

!o%alam !esri _5]\8 : @&he work of Mesri Moalam or the work of Molam

MesriB! Note thatamal 8 : @nB means ;work< and !esri !o%alam ]\_5 @nB is a

name! ( sword signed byamal-e !esri !o%alam ]\8 : _5 and attributed to S)h

Safi is kept in the Military Museum of &ehr)nL !

B ( Safa#id period smith named Mohammad &aqi Sakk)k signed his swords with the

inscription Amal-e !ohammad #a,i a''' 2 .0j-8 : @&he work of Mohammad

&aqi Sakk)kB! Note thatamal 8 : @nB means ;work< and Mohammad &aqi Sakk)k is a

name! ( sword signed by Amal-e !ohammad #a,i a''' 2 .0j-8 : and

attributed to S)h Solt)n "ossein Safa#id is kept in the Military Museum of &ehr)nLL!

LG Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 HF, cat!OGB!LH Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 , cat! FB!L Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 , cat! [ LH , cat!FL B!LL Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 L , cat! B!


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LB (nother smith with the name (skari 6sfah)ni from the Safa#id period signed his

swords with the inscriptionamal-e As'ari Esfahni 012345_.89: @&he work of

(skari 6sfah)niB! Note thatamal 89: @nB means ;work,

means ;work< and Mir eA) 2`__T @nB is a nameL !

L Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 L , cat! FB!LO Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7 , cat!FGHB!L Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G b7L , cat!F B!L Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @G 7LG , cat!F B!


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HB ( swordsmith from the )')r period made two swords for Nassereldin )h )')r with

the signatureamal-e *std @ i !ohammad -02-2.89: @&he work of ")'i

MohammadB! Note thatamal 8 : @nB means ;work,


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note that sohns$ |2 2V means ;filemaker< and Ma hadi -3 9 is a title gi#en to a

pilgrim who went to the Mausoleum of 6m)m eA) in Ma had on a pilgrimagex!

GB *n the neighborhood 6idg)h W2{-T:7 (li )qus)A |2 V2 \:, Karbal)i "asan am irs)A

|2 _T X . Y_ Note that amirs$ |2 _T X means ;swordmaker< and Karbal)i

Y_ is a title gi#en to a pilgrim who went to the Mausoleum of 6m)m "ossein in

Karbala on a pilgrimagex, ol)mreA) )qus)A |2 V2 2_9 , and >st)d Mohamm

am irs)A |2 _T X - 9 2 note thatostd 2 means ;master< and gi#en to smiths

who ha#e reached the mastery le#elx!

HB *n the neighborhood P)in viy)b)n T22Y2T~ 7 (bb)s )qus)A |2 V2 Q2R:, Karbal)i(li )qus)A |2 V2\: Y_ , >st)d ahmatoll)h am irs)A |2 _T X + 2 ,

(ll)h oli am irs)A |2 _T X\ + !

B *n the neighborhood Ng)n 2V7 Karbal)i "asan am irs)A |2 _T X . Y_ and

"asan )qus)A |2 V2 . !

*t is noteworthy that two swordsmiths with the same name Karbal)i "asan am irs)A

from different neighborhoods of 6idg)h and Ng)n worked in the same period!

'onclusion

Many quality Persian blades are signed with their makers mark! &he cartouches carrying

the name of their makers are generally gold inlaid on the blade! &he most famous

Persian swordsmith is (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni! &here are different cartouches with different

handwritings, different types of applications of gold inlay, and e#en dates that make it

impossible that one sword could ha#e made all these blades! &he possibility of a


25/29

counterfeiter of quality blades can be ruled out in this case, as a counterfeiter would

eDactly copy the cartouche of the original maker and put the correct date and not a

different one! &aking all these factors into consideration it seems more likely that

(ssadoll)h was a title gi#en to eDcellent swordsmiths! &he same should be true with the

name Kalbeali as many swords are signed with his name as well! More research in future

will shed more light on these two names! >ther swordmakers signed their swords with

their own names as e#idenced by the eDamples kept in the military museums of *ran!

Picture () ?old inlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to )h (bb)s Safa#id @FL O F G C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, G 7 H

&he inscriptions read Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 89: + -. 012345 and Bande-ye h-e

velyat Abbs Q2R:TUVW2XW-1Y !

Picture *) ?old inlaid inscriptions of another sword attributed to )h (bb)s Safa#id

@FL O F G C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khoras

G 7 HGB! &he inscriptions also read Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 89: + -. 012345 and

Bande-ye h-e velyat Abbs Q2R:TUVW2XW-1Y ! &here is also a gold inlaid bodduh sign

in letters! Note the huge difference between handwriting styles!

Picture +)?old inlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to )h Soleym)n Safa#id @F

F C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, G 7

B! &he inscriptions read Amal-e Assadollh Esfahni 78) ,-./89: + -. 012345

and 5nnahu min sulayman ainnahu bismi Allhi alrrahmani alrrahim! + _ T _


26/29


27/29

Picture 4)?old inlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to Karim v)n and @FOL FOO

C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, G 7 B! &h

inscriptions read

Amal-e Ali As,ar Esfahni 012345_5 0\:89: and a Persian poem! &he poem reads

;&his sword which is meantx to hunt the celestial lionB is the sword of the akil, the king

who conquers countries! "e will always keep the key to #ictory in his hand and @ only ifx

one holds the handle of this sword in his hand!

Re erencesPrimar5 sources6se 7 Mohammad 89em :Rostam al 8okam;@G H=FH GB! "ostam al #avrix7

alatin-eelseleye afaviye6 Afriye6 andiye va ; riye! "ostam al #avrix7 &he

Sultansof Safa#id, (f )rid, and and )')rx! (nnotated by (AiAollah (liA)deh! &ehr)n76nte )r)t e Ierdos!

Al-Quran @F HB! &ranslated by >roo' (hmad (li into 6nglish! Princeton7 Princeton$ni#ersity

Press! Dstn-e Hossein Kord-e abestari@G H=FH GB!#he tory of @ossein +ord habestari!

(nnotated by (bbas abg)hi abestari! &ehr)n7 Moaseseye 6nte )r)t eIarah)ni!

E!n Marhum ali Mir=7 $e5nal!edin @F O F O =FG L FG

"egiraB! Ahs%iye-ye Ar$-e A,das Statistics of the "oly Zandx! Manuscript fromthe

National Zibrary of *ran, &ehr)n,K9e i Sa!=e"ri7 Moln 8ossein >?e=@F OF=FHL B! Futuvvatnme-ye oltni!

(nnotated by Mohammad Jafar Mah'ub! &ehr)n7 6nte )r)t ony)d e Iarhang e*ran!Mir= @ot allh@FO FO O7FFF or FF =F F OB!#a%id Besrat Aid to ight x!"andwritten

Manuscript on Swords and Swordmaking in the ritish Zibrary!Nasr!di Es ahni7 Mir= Mohammad Ther @F F=FHFOB!#a$a'ore-ye (asrbdi !

(nnotated by ahid %astgerdi! &ehr)n7 )pD)ne ye (rmaq)n! Romuz-e Hamze @F =FHL "egira7GG B! "andwritten by Mohammad (li N)m!&ehr)n7


28/29

erkat e )p e Ket)b!Tah"ildr Es ahni7 8ossein !en Mohammad E!rhim@F =FH GB! 2ogrfiy-ye Esfahn:

2ogrfiy-ye #abi%i va Ensni va Gmr-e Asnf-e .ahr&he ?eography of*sfahan7 the Natural and "uman ?eography and the Statistics on Crafts from the

Cityx! (nnotated by Manouchehr Sotude! &ehr)n7 )pD)ne ye %)ne g)h e&ehr)n!Tartusi7 A!u Ther @G F=FH B! Abu !oslemnme! (nnotated by "ossein 6sm)ili!Iour

olumes! &ehr)n7 6nte )r)t e Moin, Na r e atre, (n'oman e *r)n en)si dar*r)n!

Secondar5 Iranian sourcesEhsni7 Mohammad Ta i@G H=FH GB! @aft @e$r l @onar Fele$'ri Dar 5rn

Se#en

&housand ears of the (rt of Metalworking in *ranx! &ehr)n7 erkate 6nte )r)t e6lmi a Iarhangi!Balsa i7 Nasrollh@F =FHOLB! endegni .h Abbs &he iography of )h (bb)sx3L

#ols! &ehr)n7 )pD)ne ye Mah)rat!Barah"a9i7 Cahrm@G Ga=FH FB! Farhang aban


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Bloor7 Willem@G HB!#raditional Hrafts in ;a ar 5ran I7J88 K 7) ? 3 Costa Mesa7MaAda

Publishers!Ko!5linski7 @ech@G B! Persian and *ndo Persian (rms! *n7 (ntoni omuald

Chodynski @ed!B! Persian and *ndo Persian (rms and (rmor of Fth F th Century

from Polish Collections! Malbork7 MuAeum amkowe w Malborku, pp ! LO O !@e!ed5nsk57 Iarsla"@F GB! Les Armes *rientales! Za &our du Pin7 6ditions duPortail!MacKen=ie7 D1N1@F OFB! A Honcise Dford $ni#ersityPress!Ma5er7 @1A1@F LO L B! SiDteen *slamic lades!

persian swordmakers

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