Dagger Blade, Etched with Arabesques and Arabic
Persian
This dagger blade is etched with an intricate vegetal scroll motif and inscribed in Arabic with a verse from the Qur'an: “And what is my prosperity save through God?” (Qur'an 11:88). Furthermore, a name or a nisba appears close to the handle “Shah Wilayat the slave (follower) of Husayn Sultan” (bandah shah wilayat Husayn sultan), and may be linked to the Safavid ruler Shah Sultan-Husayn (r. 1694-1722). Similar inscriptions appear on earlier Safavid seals (see Encyclopedia of Islam “khatam”).
Steel
Safavid period