Turkey: A levha or panel honouring Imam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib I(r. 656-661 CE) and his celebrated bifurcated sword Dhu'l-fiqar (Zulfiqar), 'The Cleaver of Vertebrae'. Calligraphy attributed to Farid al-Din, early 19th century

This levha panel praises Muhammad's son-in-law 'Ali and his famous double-edged sword Dhu al-Fiqar, which he inherited from the Prophet, with the topmost statement executed in black ink: 'There is no victory except 'Ali [and] there is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar' (la fath ila 'Ali, la sayf ila Dhu al-Fiqar). The vocalization for this proclamation is executed in red ink.

Immediately below the inscription eulogizing 'Ali appear several lines executed in red (vocalized in blue ink), blue (vocalized in red ink), and black (vocalized in red ink) praising the Imam, the Prophet Muhammad, and God. The four diagonal lines executed in blue ink provide a supplementary eulogistic quatrain in honor of a ruler by drawing a parallel to the great Persian kings Jamshid and Feridun.

In the lower right corner, the artist Farid al-Din has signed his work with the expression katabahu Farid al-Din ('Farid al-Din wrote this'). Unfortunately, this single calligraphic panel is not dated. As levhas are typical of 19th-century Turkish calligraphic traditions, it is quite possible that this piece was executed at the time for a patron with Shi'i inclinations either in Turkey or Iran.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

Library of Congress

Credit:

Pictures From History