Name of Object:

Talismanic shirt

Location:

Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey

Holding Museum:

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

 About Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Sultanahmet

Date of Object:

Hegira, end of the 8th–beginning of the 9th / AD end of the 14th–beginning of the 15th century

Museum Inventory Number:

539

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Yellow dyed silk.

Dimensions:

Length 100 cm, chest (from cuff of sleeve to cuff of sleeve) 120 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Early Ottoman period

Provenance:

Bursa, Turkey.

Description:

The front of the shirt has a round collar and is open down to the level of the abdomen. The entire surface of the shirt is decorated with Qur'anic verses, prayers, magic formulas and numerological charms. The back part of the shirt features a design of naturalistic flowers executed in coloured pigments.

The inscriptions on talismanic shirts consist mostly of chapters and verses of the Qur'an. In addition to these, the names and epithets of God (the Asma al-Husna), the names of various prophets and the four major angels, the seal of the Prophet Muhammad and poems praising him, and occasionally the hilya (Description of the Prophet) are written. Sometimes the names of Fatima, her sons Hasan and Husayn, the first four caliphs and the signs of the zodiac are encountered. Almost all talismanic shirts have magic formulas and numerological charms made up of letters and numbers, which are thought to have magical powers and meanings. The Museum has many talismanic shirts from different tombs.

View Short Description

The Qur'anic verses, which are the words of God, were not only read for prayer but were also perceived as talismanic symbols. Sometimes they were carried as an amulet necklace and sometimes they covered entire costumes known as 'talismanic shirts'.

How date and origin were established:

The shirt's yellow colour, inscriptions, and naturalistic floral decoration suggest that it was made in the early years of the Ottoman dynasty and used by Sultan Bayezid I ('the Thunderbolt').

How Object was obtained:

Brought in 1332 / 1914 from the tomb of Sultan Bayezid I ('the Thunderbolt') at his complex in Bursa.

Selected bibliography:

ölçer, N. et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Istanbul, 2002, pp.248–9.

Citation of this web page:

Alev Özay "Talismanic shirt" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;18;en

Prepared by: Alev Özay
Translation by: Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu
Translation copyedited by: Mandi Gomez


MWNF Working Number: TR 33