An Ottoman Talismanic Shirt (jama) with Extracts from the Qur'an and prayers Talismanic shirt were believed to be imbued with protective powers and may have been meant to be worn under armor in battle. Its covered with text written in Naskh and Thuluth scripts, in assorted colors, arranged in numerous panels, roundels, cartouches, cypress tree forms. The inscriptions include quotations from the Quran, invocations and prayers to Allah. Written in Naskh and Thuluth, in various sizes and shapes and changing patterns, in black, red, blue and gold. To the centre of the chest area two roundels enclosing two paintings of Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabawi each flanked by roundels of 'Allah' and 'Muhammed' on a gilt ground. To the backside a central star composed of verse 13 of the surah Al-Saff surrounded by four squares of Kalimaat Al-Tawhid in large Kufic script and six roundels of Allah prayers in Naskh script, further stylised with quotations of the Quran containing attributions to Allah for protection during battles, as well as Arabesque scrolls. Measurement: 108 x 99,5 cm Catalogue Note: Talismanic shirts such as these were of immense religious and monetary value amongst Muslim rulers and elites in Africa and Asia. Four distinctive types of Islamic talismanic shirts have been identified: Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal (Indian) and West African –none of which can be dated to earlier than the 15th century. Each group has its own unique stylistic approach to the shape of the garments and the talismanic formulas used, as well as the design of the illumination. A very small number of these garments are signed and dated, one of which belongs to the Ottoman group and is housed in the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul. The Topkapı shirt was commissioned for Cem Sultan (d.1495), son of Sultan Mehmed II, and includes not only the exact date and time at which the construction of the shirt was begun, (30 March 1477, Tuesday, 12:36pm, the Sun in 19 degrees Aries), but also the exact date and time it was finished (29 March 1480, Sunday 3:57am, the Sun in 19 degrees Aries). Topkapı’s dated example gives an unusually accurate idea of how time consuming the production of such garments could be – three years to complete a single shirt. By comparison to how accurate curators can sometimes be about the making of these incredible shirts, their function is far more debatable. Unfortunately, there are very few sources that discuss or even mention the use of these objects. One source, written in the 1530’s in Istanbul, describes a shirt made by a holy man in Mecca through which neither bullets nor swords could penetrate. That shirt was commissioned for the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520—1527) by his wife Hürrem Sultan, and still survives to this day. It is also housed in the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul. Though talismanic shirts were used as protection from disease, famine, difficult child birth, sudden death, and the unpredictability of travel, it is believed that the majority of these shirts were meant for use in battle. Particular verses from the Qur’an that refer to victory were commonly inscribed on shirts worn under armour – the word of God was intended to protect the owner while they fought. Reference: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1998.199 The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Accession Number: T.59-1935 A Warrior’s Magic Shirt, by Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam, assistant curator, Middle Eastern section, Victoria & Albert Museum