Persian Swordmakers

PERSIAN SWORDMAKERS
Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani
Introduction
Similar to high quality Japanese Nihonto swords that are signed with their maker’s mark,
some high quality Persian swords also bear their maker’s 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 high
quality 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
(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 Assadollāh Esahāni +,-., 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 goldinlaid
with the following phrase7 Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 89: +,-., 012345, that translates
into ;&he work of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni< and ob#iously=allegedly re#eals a maker’s mark!
>ne factor that needs to be taken into consideration is that (ssadoll)h is a name e#en
used in today’s *ran and it literally means ;&he lion of ?od< that was=is used as a title of
the first *mam of the Shiites @"aArate (liB and the fourth Caliph of the Sunnites! &hus
the phrase amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni actually can be eDplained as follows7 amal 89: @nB
means ;work,< Assadollāh +,-., @nB means ;the lion of ?od,< and Esfahāni 012345, @ad'B
means ;from 6sfah)n<! &his maker’s mark appears on a number of high quality Persian
swords! >ther #ariants of this signature also eDist as Amal-e Assadollāh 89: +,-., @&he
work of (ssadoll)hB, Amal-e Assad Esfahāni 0123E5, -.,   89: @the work of (ssad
6sfah)niB, and Assadollāh Esfahāni +,-., 012345, @(ssadoll)h 6sfah)niB
F
!
(mong *ranian smiths, (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni is supposedly the most famous *ranian
swordmaker, but although the blades signed with his name are numerous
G
, his history
remains mysterious
H
! *t is e#en claimed that (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni was a genius in making
F
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7FLKMFKHB!
G
See Mayer @FNLOMLN7FB!
H
See Kobylinski GJJJ7KFB!
swords and that (ssadoll)h’s blades are able to sha#e hair as well as cut iron bars
P
! &hey
are reputedly still in eDcellent condition today e#en after PJJ years! &he goldinlaid mark
Amal-e Assad Esfahāni 0123E5, -.,   89: or Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 89: +,-., 012345,
was generally accompanied by another phrase, reading Bande-ye šāh-e velāyat Abbās
Q2R: STUV W2X   W-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 (li’s rule and acts on his behalf!< Note that bande W-1Y @nB means
;sla#e=sub'ect,< šāh W2X @nB means ;king,< and velāyat STUV @nB means ;country,
trusteeship,< and (bb)s Q2R: @nB is a king’s 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!
Velāyat STUV means ;kingdom< or ;ruled land<[ therefore, a king has a velāyat STUV to
rule! %ehDod) further states that the person to whom Velāyat-e Ali
L
  0\: STUV relates
considers himself the representati#e of 6m)m (li ]29,  0\: and, consequently, rules and
go#erns on his behalf! *t is clear that this is #ery much a Shiite phrase, for the Shiites
consider "aArate (li ^_`a 0\: the true heir to the Prophet Mohammad! Iurther, the
Digital Lexicon of Dehxodā also tells us that there were different titles=names used to
refer to "aArate (li! &hese include amir al-momenin bT19Vcd,_T9,, (ssadoll)h +,-e,,
"eidar f-Tg, molāye motagiyān h,\9 i2Tjk9, šāh-e mardān  i,l_9 W2X , and šāh-e velāyat STUV
W2X! &hus, šāh-e velāyat STUV W2X  @the king of the landB refers to "aArate (li as can be
seen in old manuscripts, such as Futuvvatnāme-ye oltāni
K
! *n the m)')rperiod
P
See Mir’i @FNOJ=FHPN7HHKB!
L
Ior the usage of this phrase in the same conteDt see the manuscript Abu !oslemnāme @&artusi,
GJJF=FHnJ7PJF[ #ol! GB!
K
See K)oefi SabAe#)ri @FNOF=FHLJ7K, FJB
manuscript "ostam al #avārix, a story is related about how p)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 p)h 6sm)’il inherited the bra#ery of ha$rat-e šāh-e velāyat STUV W2X  Sf`a
@referring to "aArate (liB! Iurther, one should notice that in the manuscript #a%id
Besārat, it is reported that the period of the rule of a king asr-e &ādešāh f5: W2ql2r is
written on some swords
O
! &hus, many researchers ha#e assumed that the combination of
two pharses Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 89: +,-., 012345, and Bande-ye šāh-e velāyat
Abbās Q2R: STUV W2X  W-1Y  indicate that the famed swordmaker (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni should
ha#e li#ed during the period of p)h (bb)s Safa#id! sut no clear historical e#idence
could 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 teA) (bb)si K)o)ni, astronomer Mol)n) Jal)ledin
Mohammad uaAdi, the physician "akim paf)i 6sfah)ni, the musician Masib v)n, the
carpet maker Nematoll)h Jooq)ni, and the architect >st)d (li (kbar 6sfah)ni, 'ust to
name a few, are clearly mentioned
n
! sut 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#idperiod manuscript #a$a'ore-ye (asrābādi
)
, it is reported that a master
swordmaker named *stād +albeali, was talking about his father (ssad -.,7
O
See MirA) Zotfall)h @FOJKMFOJO7FFFn or FFJn7FKNKMFKNO7wnxB!
8
See Mir’i @FNOJ=FHPN7HJLHHKB!
N
See Nasr)b)di 6sfah)ni @FNPF=FHFO7NB!
!-2k., 0dyYdz _{_TXcX |, -d,} -V~ -., 8•€ -_•0c
*stād +albeali šamširgar a$ vāled xod ostād Assad na,l mi'ard!
wMaster 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 FJGO
"egira @FKFN C!6!B and started to write the book #a$a'ore-ye (asrābādi in FJnH "egira
@FKOG C!6!B and li#ed until the end of the rule of p)h Soleym)n Safa#id wp)h Soleym)n
Safa#id ruled from FJLGMFJOO "egira=FKKKMFKNP C!6!x
FJ
! (nother mention of the name
(ssad -., as a swordmaker can be found in the manuscript #a%id Besārat written by
MirA) Zotfall)h in Persian in *ndia! &he date of completion is contained in the book7 if
the u)i hamAatum is counted, as it is usually in such treatises, a most likely year would
be FFFn "egira @FOJKMFOJO C!6!B and without u) it would be FFJn "egira @FKNKMFKNO
C!6!B! *f one takes both dates of completion into consideration, namely FOJKFOJO C!6!
and FKNKFKNO C!6!, it is clear that the manuscript #a%id Besārat was written during the
rule of p)h Solt)n "ossein Safa#id @FKNPMFOGG C!6!B! *n the manuscript #a%id Besārat,
MirA) Zotfall)h eDplains that the *ranian sword is called i'eri hf•T, by the &urks and is
made in 6sfah)n @*sfahanB especially by (ssad l.,, who, he says, is like the S)leh ‚\25
from *ndia, and his son Kalbeali 0\:ƒ\•! &he *ranian swords wmade by (ssad l., and
Kalbeali 0\:ƒ\• and other *ranian smithsx cut -ošan iq}„ 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
_TXcX 0€,fT,  …• i2•f† hf•T, -€TV{ S.‡12ˆ2E5 ‰}5Š _2• -., …• 8‹c  ‚\2Œ S.12k.}-€ˆ V •f.r
FJ
(llan and ?ilmour @GJJJ7FJGB report about the mention of the name of a swordsmith named (ssad!
0\:ƒ\• V WfTŽ bXV• f2T.Y -fY0c _{, •_Y W-T-  } W-T€X  }, 8T5Ek ]€• •c•c …‘\2Yc -}X f- h_YSŠ.
fT’€0Y ^., 2Y …•€“ _Y…cˆ ^., W_| f-•Y i2•c, ”V~ -fY0c } hfYWf|  fTXcX -U}4 ^., } •Œ€  •f– ]-
f,-Y“ ^., —Tf,-Y“ …Y ^T1ˆ- ^., |, bŽV_ Wf25: } i}Y2Œ 2Y h,˜„, f™T- f- ^-X  ”_š ]~ -_V~0c V
˜{_ˆ -€•X0c€ _Y ]- ]ˆ _‹z, ]T2• -€2cTc i,_ŒYc ›}œY ]2ck  W2™1  -€f,-Tc 0€23EŒ, f†3Y |, 0€2.,f~ }
0c• V h2ˆ2„ _™T- ^TUV ^., ^Š21q 0†TU} 2k —dj1 0c_1 V ^TET• lUVE ^., |, 8TY• 8TŒ, fˆ l€• f-
!^TUV -U}4 |, l€ˆ -ef0c f- b2†.V-€ˆ bžY STET• l€€,V†Tc1 ^~2. V f- •_Y ]ˆ -€,V†Tc€f-j1, -X
@MirA) Zotfall)h, FOJKMFOJO7FFFn or FFJn7FKNKMFKNO7wHKHOxB
.amšir-e irāni 'e tor'ān i'eri guyand safāhānist xosus 'ār-e Asad 'e mel-e āleh-e
hendustān ast va &esaraš +alb-e Ali va ,eire -/šan besyār miborad agar boreš dide va
šenide u tafsil 'onam mo-amelan mobāle,e šavad dar saxtbori bina$ir ast bā in'e
hamebor ast $ereh be,adr-e em'ān xub miborad va $erehbori šamšir-e fulād ast va nesf-
e taraf-e dam ābdār ast ābdāriyaš be dohniyat ast a$ ro,an-e osāre va sābun bā a-$āye
digar dar šedat-e $arb xam mixorad va harge$ nemiše'anad bar dam ham a'sar ,āyem
mimānad mobserān be $o,-e tamām negāh midārand esfahāni behtar a$ xorāsāni va
,omi va -āhāye digar-e velāyat ast šenāxt velāyati tā na,laš narmi va 'eyfiyat fulād ast
a$ ,abil-e asil har 0and dar velāyat fulād a$ hend miresad dar hendustān be ān 'eyfiyat
nemitavānand sāxt va dar boreš ham ān,adr nemitavānad šod!
w*ranian sword, which is called i'eri by the &urks, is from *sfahan, especially those made
by (ssad, who is similar to S)leh from *ndia, and his son Kalbe (li and others! *t cuts
-1šan wa type of armor which is a combination of plate and mailx #ery well! *f * eDplained
its cutting wabilityx which * ha#e seen and heard it would sound like an eDaggeration! *t is
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! $pon hard strikes it bends, but it
ne#er breaks! *t keeps its strong edge most of the time as well! wSwordx connoisseurs
keep it with lots of interests! Swords from 6sfah)n w*sfahanx are better than those from
vor)s)n wKhorasanx and mom and other places in the country wvelāyatx! tecogniAing the
swords from the country wvelāyat[ referring to *ran herex as they eDplain is due to its
fleDibility and the quality of its steel similar to asil wnoblex swords! (lthough the steel of
the country wvelāyatx comes from *ndia, *n *ndia they cannot make the same quality
wswordsx and they cannot reach their cutting abilityx!
&his again pro#es that that there was not only one smith called (ssadoll)h who li#ed
during the reign of p)h (bb)s Safa#id who ruled from FLnOMFKGN C!6! *n the
Dāeratolmaāref-e Bo$org-e Eslāmi @&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 2ogrāfiyā-ye Esfahān @&he ?eography of 6sfah)nB which was written in FGNP
"egira @FnOO C!6!B! *n the manuscript 2ogrāfiyā-ye Esfahān the name of (ssad 6sfah)ni
is mentioned as follows
FG
7
^:2c„ |2.fTqcq Ÿ ›Y2. -2T˜ -1-VY V U2a _2T.Y ]• Ÿ 8T,}, bT, S\Vl lTV2„ ^-c 0.~X  ,-Tr W-X -}Y fTqcq
SŠ2eTc ”†,_cY _†3Y |, -., 0€23EŒ, } h2ˆf2• i2k.V-1ˆ i}• hf†Xc V ›Vqc ^X,-1 ],V- ˆ -_•€Ÿ bT,
FF
See Sems)r @FNNO=FHOO7GLOB!
FG
&ah#ild)r 6sfah)ni @FNKP=FHPG7FJOB!
! b2c˜ ]ˆ ”VŠ  -€|2.Tc _{, b2ˆ,V~ …kX,- -X2Y bU, b2X:2†c _2T.Y ]•  f,-T_Š ^.,
2emā%at šamširsā$3 ābe, $iyād budand va hālā besyār 'am3 Avāyel in dolat-e -āvid
moddat ye' šaxsi &eydā šode bud šamšir misāxt be marāteb behtar as Assad Esfahāni va
'ārhāye hendustān3 4on moštari va mošave, nadāšt davām ham &eidā na'ard3 5n
$amān ham xub misā$and a,ar xāhān dāšte bāšad6 allān matā%ešān besyār 'am xaridār
ast!
wSwordmakers7 &here used to be many in the past but they are only few now! (t the
beginning of this ;eternal go#ernment< wreferring to the period of Nassereldin p)h m)')rx,
there was a person wsmithx who made better swords than (ssad 6sfah)ni and the wotherx
swords made in *ndia! "e wthe swordsmithx did not ha#e any supporters and clients, his
work did not sur#i#e! sut, 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 (asrābādi and #a%id Besārat! sut 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
cartouches were added later to the blades to increase their #alue for sale to the 6uropean
markets
FH
! tesearch in GJJJ assumed that there were more than GJJ blades bearing the
signature of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni in larger, wknownx pri#ate collections and museums
outside *ran and the same number could presumably be found in smaller collections,
raising the number to at least PJJ to LJJ swords carrying his signature[ it is highly
unlikely that (ssadoll)h made all these blades
FP
! (dditionally, many of his blades
outside *ran are dated, the oldest known date being nFF hegira @FPJN C!6!B, while the
most recent one is FGGH "egira @FnJn C!6!B
FL
! >ther researchers pro#ide a time span of
o#er three centuries for dated blades carrying the signature of (ssadoll)h
FK
! (nother
factor 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 handwriting
FO
!
NeDt to the association of (ssadoll)h with the era of p)h (bb)s the ?reat @FLnLMFKGO
C!6!B, there are also suggestions that that since many blades carrying the signature of
(ssadoll)h were made after the era of p)h (bb)s the ?reat, (ssadoll)h presumably li#ed
in the era of p)h (bb)s *** @FOHFMHK C!6!B! Ne#ertheless, research points out to the
eDistence of a blade signed with the signature ;&he work of Kalb (li, the son of
(ssadollah< in the FO
th
century, indicating that a certain smith named (ssadoll)h must
ha#e li#ed during the era of p)h (bb)s the ?reat
Fn
!
FH
See ¡eller and tohrer @FNLL7NnNNB!
FP
Kobylinski @GJJJ7KFB[ also see Mayer @FNLOMLN7FB!
FL
Kobylinski @GJJJ7KGB!
FK
See Zebedynsky @FNNG7OFB!
FO
Zebedynsky @FNNG7OFB and Kobylinski @GJJJ7KGB!
18
See ¡eller and tohrer @FNLL7FJJB!
Just in the collection of "enri Moser in sern, SwitAerland, there are FH Persian blades
signed with the signature of (ssadollah spanning a time span of FPJ years, including the
kingdoms of P successi#e *ranian kings from the Safa#id period
FN
! *n the collection of
"enri Moser in sern, there are no blades signed with the signature of (ssadoll)h that can
be traced to the era of p)h (bb)s
GJ
! "owe#er, in the Military Museum of &ehran alone,
the Palace of Sa’d)b)d, there are four swords attributed to p)h (bb)s * that are signed
with the signature of (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni! (nother magnificent dated sword from the
Military Museum sandar (nAali @number KB with the cartouche Amal-e Assadollāh
Esfahāni 789 is clearly dated to FFJO hegira, which was made during the reign of p)h
(bb)s * Safa#id, who ruled from NNKMFJHn "egira @FLnOMFKGN C!6!B!
&here are also suggestions that the signature of (ssadoll)h may ha#e been used as a sign
of a workshop
GF
! >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 p)h (bb)s rather than in#enting
different, unrelated dates! *t is not e#en clear which p)h (bb)s is actually referred to
since there were three kings by that name7 p)h (bb)s * @FLnLMFKGO C!6!B, p)h (bb)s **
@FKPGMFKKO C!6!B, and p)h (bb)s *** @FOHGMFOHK C!6!B
GG
! &he dates on the blades signed
FN
See Zeller and Rohrer (1955:99–100).
GJ
See Zeller and Rohrer (1955:100)
GF
See Kobylinski @GJJJ7KGB!
GG
See Mayer @FNLOMLN7FB!
with the name of (ssadoll)h kept in 6uropean museums range from FPJnMFPJN C!6!
GH
until FnJn C!6!
GP
and the cartouches carry the names of almost all Safa#id kings, such as
p)h 6sm)il, p)h &ahm)sp, p)h (bb)s, p)h Safi, p)h "ossein, p)h Soleym)n, and e#en
(fo)rid N)der Shah
GL
! tesearch 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
GK
! "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 death
GO
!
%ated swords with this maker’s mark complicate the issue e#en more! &here are se#en
dated eDamples that, rather than sol#ing the mystery behind the smith (ssadoll)h’s 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 <eriod, the earliest date is NNG "egira @FLnH C!6!B, and the
latest is FFHL "egira @FOGG C!6!B, a time span of FHN years
Gn
! 6#en the positioning of the
indi#idual words in this phrase #aries from sword to sword! &aking all these factors into
consideration, it seems unlikely or e#en fundamentally implausible that a single smith
named (ssadoll)h produced all these blades! *t seems feasible and probable that
;(ssadoll)h< +,-., was a title of honor signifying the highest le#el of mastery in
swordmaking! &he theory that some of these inscriptions were counterfeited to add to the
23
&his saber is in the toyal Scottish Museum!
24
&his saber is in the ¢allace Collection in Zondon!
GL
See Mayer @FNLOMLN7GB!
GK
*bid!
GO
*bid!
Gn
See Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7FLKMFKHB!
#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 p)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 Esfahāni from the same time period, namely Amal-e (ssadoll)h Esfahāni 77=
@££ ¤ 89: +,-., 012345,   B, Amal-e (ssadoll)h Esfahāni 779 @££ ¥ 89: +,-., 012345,   B, and
Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni @89:  +,-.,   012345,B and Bande-ye .ah-e velāyat Abbās
saneye 7>? @£¦§   Q2R: …1e STUV W2X  Wl1Y B
GN
, all originating during the period of p)h Solt)n
"ossein Safa#id, who ruled from FFJLMFFHL "egira @FKNPMFOGG C!6!B! "owe#er, all
three swords look different in many respects, especially regarding the handwriting style!
&his is further e#idence that, at least during the period of p)h Solt)n "ossein Safa#id’s
reign, #arious smiths signed blades using the signature Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni @
89: +,-., 012345,B and further corroborates the theory that (ssadoll)h +,-., was, indeed,
GN
*bid!
an honorary title! ¢e should not forget, howe#er, that making a šamšir _TqcX 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 fulādgarān b,_{-2\VE @steel workersB! *n the manuscript 2ogrāfiyā-ye
Esfahān it is stated that the fulādgarān b,_{-2\VE made the sword fittings
HJ
! &his is also
reported that the fulād'ārān b,_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
fcz8{ @belt bucklesB! (dditionally, Safa#id steelworkers, specialiAed in making arms and
armor, cooperated with $argarān b,_{_˜ @goldsmithsB when decorating them
HF
! &his was
ob#iously the case in later periods as well! Iloor @GJJH7GGHB quotes &ah#ild)r, who
wrote about the gold engra#ers @na,,āš-e $argar •2j€ _{_˜B guild that engra#ed and inlaid
i#ory bones and lion fishteeth @walrus i#oryB for the grips of daggers @xan-ar _„€~B,
mirror framers, walkingstick 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 maker’s
mark could be due to this di#ision of labor! Irom Nasr)b)di 6sfah)ni’s writings, the
smith (ssadoll)h li#ed circa FKNJ C!6! within the reign of p)h Soleym)n Safa#id, who
ruled from FJOOMFFJL "egira @FKKKMFKNP C!6!B! &here is an *ranian šamšir with two
goldinlaid inscriptions7 Amal-e Assadollāh 89:  +,-., @&he work of (ssadoll)hB and
.āhanšah Anbiyā !ohammad …q€ˆ,q ,TY€, lcac @&he king of the prophets MohammadB
HG
!
&he swords and coins during the Mohammad p)h m)')r period also carried
HJ
See &ah#ild)r 6sfah)ni @FNKP=FHPG7FJKB!
HF
6hs)ni @GJJH=FHnG7FNLB
HG
See Petrasch, et al! @FNNF7FnG[ FnLMFnKB!
the inscription of .ahanšah Anbiyā !ohammad …q€ˆ,q ,TY€, lcac! soth cartouches on this
šamšir _TqcX ha#e the same style of handwriting and goldinlaying technique, which
would indicate that they originate from the same period, which was in this case the era of
Mohammad p)h m)')r! *t would therefore appear that a smith by the name of (ssadoll)h
also li#ed during the era of Mohammad p)h m)')r wFnHPMFnPn C!6!x as well as during
that of p)h Soleym)n Safa#id @FKKKMFKNP C!6!B
HH
! sased 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 Assadollāh 89: +,-., or Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 012345,
89: +,-.,! &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 'ārdhā @kni#esB and xan-arhā @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 šamširsā$ ˜2._‡qcq, 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 Dāstān @ossein +ord .abestari, written during p)h
(bb)s Safa#id’s reign, re#eals that e#en p)h (bb)s Safa#id was called ;&he descendant
of (ssadoll)h!< &he book relates that when the son of sadaq v)n, the go#ernor of
&abriA, sent a messenger to p)h (bb)s in 6sfah)n, the messenger entered the court and
addressed p)h (bb)s as far$and$āde-ye Assadollāh al-,āleb amir al-momenin aleyhe
salām Wl,˜-€˜_E   +,-.,   ”\2‘\,   bT19Vcd,_T9,   U.\,…T\: @&he descendant of the Zion of ?od,
HH
See Moshtagh Khorasani (2006:156–163).
(ssadoll)h6 the powerful= #ictorious tuler of the selie#ersB
HP
! *n the m)')rperiod
manuscript, "ostam al #avārix, the following title is used to refer to "aArat (li7
Assadollāh al ;āleb Ali ibn Abi #āleb @ 0\: bY, ”d2¨TY, ©ª +,-., ”\2‘\, @&he Zion of ?od (li,
the powerful the #ictorious, the son of (bi &)lebB
HL
! soth (ssadoll)h +,-., and amir al-
momenin bT19Vcd,_T9, are the titles of "aArat (li! Now, gi#en the fact that p)h (bb)s
Safa#id called himself «Kalbeali« 0\yR\z @the dog of (liB and the descendant of
(ssadoll)h, it sheds light on the phrase, Amal-e +albali ibn Assadwollahx Esfahāni 01234Œ,
8c: 0\yR\z iR, -.,! *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 guilds
during the Safa#id period! teaching 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 m)')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 guild
HK
! *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
?odB
HO
! &his title was gi#en to good swordsmen as reported in the manuscript "omu$-e
@am$e written in the second half of the FL
th
century C!6! that the title (ssad ibn bY,-e,
was used to refer to swordsmen who deli#ered #ery powerful strikes with their swords
Hn
!
The swordmaker Kal!eali 0\yR\z
HP
See Dāstān @ossein +ord .abestari @GJJH=FHnG7PPB!
HL
See ¬sef @GJJH=FHnG7FHPB!
HK
See (llan and ?ilmour @GJJJ7HnOB!
HO
Ior the maker’s mark signed with the name (ssadoll)h and its #(ryants on different swords see
Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PHJ, cat!OJ, PHG, cat! OH[ PHP, cat! OP[ PHL, cat! OL[ PHK, cat! OK[ PPF, cat! ON[
PLF, cat! nL[ PPnPPN, cat!nH[ PLF, cat!nL[ PLH, cat!nK[ PLK, cat!nN[ PKF, cat!NH[ POF, cat!FJH[ PnF, cat!FFG[
LJH, cat!FHF[ LFn, cat!FPH[ LGK, cat!FLF[ LGN, cat!FLG[ LHK, cat!FLO[ LPO, cat!FKKB!
Hn
See "omu$-e @am$e @FNPJ=FHLN "egira7LHNB!
(nother swordmaker’s cartouche that has led to lots of confusion is the phrase Amal-e
+albeali 0\yR\z 8c: A&he work of Kalbeali!< Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work,< 'alb
”d• @nB means ;dog,< and (li 0d: @nB is the name of "aArate (li! Similar to the name
(ssadoll)h +,-.,, Kalbeali is a characteristic Shiite first name and Kalbeali is also
considered as another smith who worked for p)h (bb)s Safa#id, who ruled from FLnOM
FKGN C!6!, by some researchers
HN
! &he eDpression ;&he dog of (li< is used to show the
de#otion of the maker to "aArat (li 0\: ^_`g , the first 6m)m of the Shiites! &his
maker’s mark is also a mystery as different swords with different handwriting and
calligraphy with this maker’s mark eDist! &he eDistence of different phrases of the
signature of ;+albeali< indicates that there were, indeed, different smiths who signed
their swords with this title! &here are three different types7 aB amal-e +albali 0\yR\• 8c:  ,
bB amale-e +albeali Esfahāni 01234Œ, 0\yR\• 8c:  , and cB amal-e +alb-e Ali ibn Assad-e
Esfahāni 8c: 0\yR\z iR, -., 01234Œ,! &he name ;Kalbeali< is sometimes written as one word
as 0\yR\•, and it is written in two words on other cartouches as well as ”\• 0\:! 6#en the
reference to the father, (ssadoll)h, is different! >ne cartouche bears the eDpression, 5bn
Assad Esfahāni iR,   -.,   01234Œ,, whereas another cartouche reads, 5bn Assad Bahābdār
  _,-”2ˆ˜ -., iR, ! &he inscription, Valad-e +albeali ibn Assad Bahābdār _,- ”2ˆ| -., iR,
0\yR\z -\V , re#eals that the smith wanted to stress that his grandfather had the title
;(ssadoll)h< +,-.,, the highest le#el, or wanted to stress that he was a seyyed
@descendant of the Prophet Mohammad’s familyB
PJ
! (ssuming that (ssadoll)h +,-., was
an honorary title, one is faced with the problem of interpreting the phrase Amal-e
+albeali ebn Assad 8c: 0\yR\z iR,  -., @&he work of Kalbeali the son of (ssadB! *n this
HN
See Zebedynsky @FNNG7OFB!
PJ
See Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7FKHMFKOB!
regard, it is assumed that there were two sons of (ssadoll)h +,-.,, Kalbeali 0\yR\z and
6sm)’il 8‡:29., and is assumed that only one blade is signed ;&he work of 6sm)’il son of
(ssadoll)h<
PF
! %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 person
PG
as at the end of
FK
th
century and the beginning of FO
th
century, (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni had attained a #ery
good reputation! Some e#en propose the possibility that (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni 012345,
+,-., was the creator of the classical *ranian šamšir with the highly cur#ed blade, a
tradition that was set forth after his death and the death of his son, Kalbeali 0\yR\z
PH
!
"owe#er, the theory cannot be substantiated that one smith named (ssadoll)h +,-.,
from the p)h (bb)s W2q -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 KHF C!6!, the
swords used in *ran were all straightbladed! &his means that the preceding Persian
dynasties, namely the (chaemenians @LLN s!C!HHJ s!C!B, the Parthians @GLJ s!C!GGn
(!%!B, and the Sassanians @GPF (!%!KLF (!%!B all used doubleedged, swords with
straight blades! (lthough the term šamšir is used in 6nglish and other 6uropean
languages to refer to the classical Persian šamšir 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
PF
See Mayer @FNLOLN7GB!
PG
See Kobylinski @GJJJ7KGB!
PH
See Zebedynsky @FNNG7OFB!
Middle Persian Pahla#i, in which it was called šamšCr, šafšCr and šufšCr @Iarah#ashi,
GJJGb=FHnF7HHKB! &he roots of the word šamšir can be traced back to the early New
Persian language, before it was written in (rabic script! *n early New Persian, ;sword<
was called sneh @snyhB, or šamšCr! &he earlier #ersion seems to be šafšCr in Manichaen
Middle Persian
PP
!
&hese famous names, namely (ssadoll)h and Kalbeali, especially the name of
(ssadoll)h +,-.,, were used to symboliAe the quality of the blades
PL
! *t is interesting to
note that many swords with good watered blades were signed with his name not only in
*ran but also in Mogul *ndia and >ttoman &urkey! (s suggested in the entry amal-e
Assadollāh Esfahāni 89: +,-., 012345,, the name of (ssadoll)h +,-., was more likely to
ha#e been a title bestowed on the best sword smiths®li#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 Assadollāh +,-., 0\yR\z iR, , indicating that the son of
a master made this sword! &he interesting question that arises here is whether Kalbeali
0\yR\z @the dog of (liB was a real name or a title as well! *t is important to take into
consideration that Kalbeali 0\yR\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\yR\z and refers to three swords signed with this name,
dated from FKnF to FOJJ C!6!, but the cartouches co#er the reigns of p)h 6sm)’il 8‡:29.,
W2q, p)h &ahm)sp W2q ”e2c3¯, p)h (bb)s W2q -2R:, and p)h Safi W2q 0E5
PK
! sut e#en if
these cartouches refer to p)h Safi ** @FJOOMFFJL "egira under the name of Soleym)nB,
PP
See MacKenAie @FNOFB!
PL
See Zebedynsky @FNNG7OFB!
PK
See Mayer @FNLOMLN7HB!
p)h &ahm)sp ** @FFHLMFFPP "egiraB, p)h (bb)s *** @FFPPMFFKH "egiraB, and p)h
6sm)’il *** @FFKHMFFKK "egiraB, there is a maDimum time span of nN years and a
minimum of nP, ob#iously too long a period for the acti#e life of a sword smith
PO
! *t is
also important to take into consideration that e#en p)h (bb)s * called himself +albe
āstāne Ali ”\°   i2k.“   0\: @dog on the threshold of (li’s houseB, and some of his
contemporary historians, such as Jall)ledin Mohammad, eDclusi#ely used this title to
refer to him
Pn
! (n account #erifies that the name of Kalbali 0\yR\z was a title used to refer
to people of a certain rank and who were seyyed @descendants of the Prophet
Mohammad’s familyB! &his story recalls the encounter between <ahlavān %ar#io Mofred
i,V\3± —TV_- -_E9 and an outlaw named (mir valil _Tc, 8‡\Š! Mofred -_E9 initially refused
to fight (mir valil _Tc, 8‡\Š, saying that he belonged to sagān-e ān āstān b2™e i“ b2†.“ wthe
dogs of that family7 referring to the Prophet Mohammad’s familyx @note that sagān ān
āstān b2†.“ is a short form of sag-e āstān Ali ²e i2k.“  0\: or +alb-e Ali ”\• 0\:B and
anyone who fights against a member of their group will lose
PN
! &his, of course, is more
proof that the name of Kalbeali was used to refer to seyyed @descendant of the Prophet
Mohammad’s familyB and has nothing to do with a name of only one smith! &herefore,
the fact that many smiths used this name on their blades is an indication that either they
wanted to signal that they were seyyed -‡. or chose to point out that they reached a certain
le#el of mastery! *t is noteworthy that some researchers state that some *ranian swords
from the Safa#id period bore engra#ed inscriptions, such as +albe āstāne Ali 0\: b2k.“ ”\z
wthe dog of the "ouse of (lix, +alb āstāne Velāyat ^TUV b2k.“ ”\z wthe dog of the house of
the kingdomx, or (avvāb-e +albe āstāne Ali 0\: ”\z b2k.“ ”,V€ wthe representati#e of the
PO
*bid!
Pn
Mir’i @FNOJ=FHPN7GGNB!
PN
See K)Aemini @FNKP=FHPH7OnMnFB!
dog of the house of (lix, by *ranian smiths, pro#ing their de#otion to (li 0\:
LJ
! *t would
appear that these eDpressions refer to the maker’s signature, Amal-e +albeali 0\yR\• 8c:  ,
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\yR\• 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\yR\• whose fathers had reached the mastery le#el of
(ssadoll)h +,-.,! &here is also report of a sword signed with the maker’s name,
+albeali Dorāsāni 0€2e,_~ 0\yR\• , a smith who worked during the reign of p)h (bb)s -2R:
W2q and who made an undated sword that is kept in the Salar Jung Museum in
Secunderabad! sased 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 names
LF
!
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! seside sword
number one that is kept in teAa (bb)si Museum in &ehr)n, all these swords are kept in
*ranian military museums @Military Museum of &ehr)n, Military Museum of pir)A and
Military Museum of sandar (nAaliB and were all part of the pri#ate collection of
Nassereldin p)h m)')r who had inherited these swords from his ancestors7
LJ
Ialsafi @FNNK=FHOL7nOF[ #olume HB!
LF
Ior the maker’s mark Kalbeali and its #ariants on different swords see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PHO,
cat! OO[ PHn, cat! On[ POK, cat!FJn[ PNL, cat!FGP[ LHF, cat!FLHB!
Saa"id #eriod
FB >ne of the Safa#idperiod smiths was named S)deq who signed his swords with the
inscription amal-e āde, 8c: ³-2Œ @&he work of S)deqB! Note that amal 8c: @nB means
;work< and S)deq ³-2Œ @nB is a name! ( sword signed by amal-e āde, 8c: ³-2Œ and
attributed to S)h 6sm)’il is Safa#id and is kept in the teAa (bb)si Museum
LG
!
GB (nother swordmaker from the Safa#id period was called Salm)n mol)m who signed
his swords with the inscription amal-e almān ;olām ]•Ž 8c: b2c\. @&he work of Salm)n
mol)mB[ note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work< and Salm)n mol)m ]•Ž b2c\. @nB is a
name! ( sword signed by amal-e almān ;olām ]•Ž 8c: b2c\. and attributed to S)h Safi
Safa#id is kept in the Military Museum of &ehr)n
LH
!
HB (nother smith from the Safa#id period was Mesri Mo’alam or Mo’alam Mesri who
signed his swords with the inscription Amal-e !esri !o%alam ]\yc 8c: h_5c or Amal-e
!o%alam !esri h_5c ]\yc 8c: @&he work of Mesri Mo’alam or the work of Mo’lam
MesriB! Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work< and !esri !o%alam ]\yc h_5c @nB is a
name! ( sword signed by amal-e !esri !o%alam ]\yc 8c: h_5c and attributed to S)h
Safi is kept in the Military Museum of &ehr)n
LP
!
PB ( Safa#idperiod smith named Mohammad &aqi Sakk)k signed his swords with the
inscription Amal-e !ohammad #a,i a''ā' ´2•.0j†-cac 8c: @&he work of Mohammad
&aqi Sakk)kB! Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work< and Mohammad &aqi Sakk)k is a
name! ( sword signed by Amal-e !ohammad #a,i a''ā' ´2•.0j†-cac 8c: and
attributed to S)h Solt)n "ossein Safa#id is kept in the Military Museum of &ehr)n
LL
!
LG
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PHF, cat!OGB!
LH
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PPK, cat!nFB!
LP
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PPP, cat! nJ[ LHn, cat!FLNB!
LL
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PLJ, cat!nPB!
LB (nother smith with the name (skari 6sfah)ni from the Safa#id period signed his
swords with the inscription amal-e As'ari Esfahāni 012345, h_µ., 89: @&he work of
(skari 6sfah)niB! Note that amal 89: @nB means ;work,< as'ari h_µ., @nB is a name, and
Esfahāni 012345, @ad'B means ;from 6sfah)n<
LK
!
$and #eriod
FB ( #ery famed smith named (li (sqar 6sfah)ni from the ¡and period made one of the
swords attributed to Karim v)n ¡and that is kept in the Military Museum of &ehran! "e
signed his sword with the inscription Amal-e Ali As,ar Esfahāni 012345, _‘5,0\: 89:
@&he work of (li (sqar 6sfah)niB! Note that amal 89: @nB means ;work,< (li (sqar
_‘5,0\: @nB is a name, and Esfahāni 012345, @ad'B means ;from 6sfah)n<
LO
!
%ā&ār #eriod
FB ( smith from the ¡and period or early m)')r period named Moll) S)deq 6sfah)ni
signed his swords with the inscriptions amal-e !ollā āde, Esfahāni •c ³-2Œ 012345, 8c:
@&he work of Moll) S)deq 6sfah)niB! Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work,< Moll)
S)deq •c ³-2Œ @nB is a name, and, Esfahāni 012345, @ad'B means ;from 6sfah)n
Ln
<!
GB ( smith named Mir teA) from the early m)')r period signed his swords with the
inscription amal-e !ir "e$ā 2`__Tc 8c: @&he work of Mir teA)B! Note that amal 8c: @nB
means ;work< and Mir teA) 2`__Tc @nB is a name
LN
!
LK
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PLn, cat!NFB!
LO
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7PNP, cat!FGHB!
Ln
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJKb7LPP, cat!FKPB!
LN
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7LGP, cat!FPNB!
HB ( swordsmith from the m)')r period made two swords for Nassereldin p)h m)')r with
the signature amal-e *stād @ā-i !ohammad -cac 0„2a -2†.,   89: @&he work of ")'i
MohammadB! Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work,< ostād -2†., @nB means ;master,< and
")'i Mohammad -cac 0„2a @nB is a name
KJ
!
PB (nother swordsmith from the m)')r period with the name ")'i K)Aem signed his
swords with the inscription amal-e @ā-i +ā$em  ]¶2•0„2a 89: @&he work of ")'i K)AemB!
Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work< and ")'i K)Aem ]¶2•0„2a @nB is a name
KF
!
LB Moll) (li was a m)')rperiod smith who signed his swords with the inscription amal-e
!ollā Ali 0\: •c 8c: @&he work of Moll) (liB! Note that amal 8c: @nB means ;work< and
Moll) (li 0\: •c @nB is a name
KG
!
LB ( swordsmith from the late m)')r period signed his sword with the etched inscription
amal-e !ohammad āleh  ‚d2Œ -cac 8c: @&he work of Mohammad S)lehB! Note that amal
8c: @nB means ;work< and Mohammad S)leh @nB is a name
KH
!
&he manuscript Ahsā%iye-ye Ar$-e A,das wStatistics of the "oly Zandx written by
¡eynal)bedin 6bn Marhum p)hA)deh ")'i Mohammad ·ali MirA) in FnOnMFnON C!6! by
the order of N)sserldin p)h m)')r also report the names of some smiths from the m)')r
period who were acti#e in &ehr)n as the following7
FB *n the neighborhood Sar)b ƒ,_e7 Mohammad (li ¸)qus)A |2eV•2• ¹\: -ca9 wnote that
0ā,usā$ |2eV•2• means ;knifemaker<x and Maohadi "asan Soh)ns)A |2e i2ˆVe b.g º-3q9
KJ
Ior this maker’s mark on two swords attributed to Nassereldin p)h m)')r see Moshtagh Khorasani
@GJJK7LLFMLLG, cat!FOJMFOFB!
KF
Ior this maker’s mark on a military sword from the m)')r period see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7LKJ,
cat!FONB!
KG
Ior this maker’s mark on some *ranian military swords from the m)')r period see Moshtagh Khorasani
@GJJKb7LKF, cat!FnJ[ LKG, cat!FnF[ LKH, cat!FnG[ LKP, cat!FnH, cat!FnPB!
KH
Ior more information see Moshtagh Khorasani @GJJK7LLH, cat!FOGB!
wnote that sohānsā$ |2e i2ˆVe means ;filemaker< and Maohadi º-3q9 is a title gi#en to a
pilgrim who went to the Mausoleum of 6m)m teA) in Maohad on a pilgrimagex!
GB *n the neighborhood 6idg)h W2{-T:7 (li ¸)qus)A |2eV•2• ¹\:, Karbal)’i "asan pamoirs)A
|2»e_TqcX b».g ¹‡•Y_° wNote that šamširsā$ |2»e_TqcX means ;swordmaker< and Karbal)’i
¹»»‡•Y_° is a title gi#en to a pilgrim who went to the Mausoleum of 6m)m "ossein in
Karbala on a pilgrimagex, mol)mreA) ¸)qus)A |2»»eV•2• 2»»š_9•Ž, and >st)d Mohammad
pamoirs)A |2»e_TqcX -»»ca9 l2k»e, wnote that ostād l2k»»e, means ;master< and gi#en to smiths
who ha#e reached the mastery le#elx!
HB *n the neighborhood P)’in viy)b)n bT‡2± i2Y2T~ 7 (bb)s ¸)qus)A |2eV•2• Q2R:, Karbal)’i
(li ¸)qus)A |2eV•2• ¹\: ¹‡•Y_° , >st)d tahmatoll)h pamoirs)A |2e_TqcX + …cgf l2ke,, and
(ll)h moli pamoirs)A |2e_TqcX ¹\• + !
PB *n the neighborhood N¼g)n i2•V€7 Karbal)’i "asan pamoirs)A |2e_TqcX b.g ¹‡•Y_° and
"asan ¸)qus)A |2eV•2• b.g !
*t is noteworthy that two swordsmiths with the same name Karbal)’i "asan pamoirs)A
from different neighborhoods of 6idg)h and N¼g)n worked in the same period!
'onclusion
Many quality Persian blades are signed with their maker½s mark! &he cartouches carrying
the name of their makers are generally goldinlaid 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 goldinlay, and e#en dates that make it
impossible that one sword could ha#e made all these blades! &he possibility of a
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 () ?oldinlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to p)h (bb)s Safa#id @FLnOM
FKGN C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, GJJK7PHPB!
&he inscriptions read Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 89: +,-., 012345, and Bande-ye šāh-e
velāyat Abbās Q2R: STUV W2X  W-1Y  !
Picture *) ?oldinlaid inscriptions of another sword attributed to p)h (bb)s Safa#id
@FLnOMFKGN C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani,
GJJK7PHGB! &he inscriptions also read Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 89: +,-., 012345, and
Bande-ye šāh-e velāyat Abbās Q2R: STUV W2X  W-1Y  ! &here is also a goldinlaid bodduh sign
in letters! Note the huge difference between handwriting styles!
Picture +) ?oldinlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to p)h Soleym)n Safa#id @FKKKM
FKNP C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, GJJK7PPnM
PPNB! &he inscriptions read Amal-e Assadollāh Esfahāni 78)E ,-./ 89: +,-., 012345,
and 5nnahu min sulayman Fainnahu bismi Allāhi alrrahmani alrrahim! +, bcg_d, Tg_d,
].Y ¾…€, b9 b9T\. } …€,  @*t is from Solomon, and @saysB7 ;*n the name of (llah, (rtahman,
(rtahimB @see almur’an, FNNH7HGHB!
Picture 0) ?oldinlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to p)h (bb)s Safa#id @FLnOM
FKGN C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, GJJK7PHnB!
&he inscriptions read Amal-e +albeali 0\yR\z 8c: , Bande-ye šāh-e velāyat Abbās Q2R:
STUV W2X  W-1Y  , La Fata ella Ali la seif ella dhulfaghar 2kEU U, 0\: U •T. U, _2jE\,}œ @&here is
no young and courageous man but (li, there is no sword but $olfa,ārB!, and yā Ali madad
--c 0\: 2T  @>h (li helpB1
Picture 2) ?oldinlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to p)h Safi @FKGNMFKPG C!6!B
from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, GJJK7PPPMPPLB! &he
inscriptions read Amal-e !esri !o%alam ]\yc 8c: h_5c or Amal-e !o%alam !esri h_5c
]\yc 8c: and Bande-ye šāh-e velāyat afi 0E5 STUV W2X  W-1Y  ! &here is also a goldinlaid
bodduh sign in letters!
Picture 3) ?oldinlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to p)h Solt)n "ossein @FKNPM
FOGH C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, GJJK7PLJB!
&he inscriptions read Amal-e !ohammad #a,i a''ā' ´2•.0j†-cac 8c: and Bande-ye
šāh-e velāyat oltān @ossein  bT.ab2–\. STUV W2X  W-1Y  !
Picture 4) ?oldinlaid inscriptions of a sword attributed to Karim v)n ¡and @FOLJMFOON
C!6!B from the Military Museum of &ehr)n @see Moshtagh Khorasani, GJJK7PNPB! &he
inscriptions read
Amal-e Ali As,ar Esfahāni 012345, _‘5,0\: 89: and a Persian poem! &he poem reads
;&his sword which wis 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 @wonly ifx
one holds the handle of this sword in his hand!
Reerences
Primar5 sources
6se7 Mohammad 8ā9em :Rostam al 8okamā; @GJJH=FHnGB! "ostam al #avārix7
alatin-e
elseleye afaviye6 Afšāriye6 Bandiye va ;ā-āriye! w"ostam al #avārix7 &he
Sultans
of Safa#id, (fo)rid, ¡and and m)')rx! (nnotated by (AiAollah (liA)deh! &ehr)n7
6nteo)r)te Ierdos!
Al-Qur’an @FNNHB! &ranslated by >roo' (hmad (li into 6nglish! Princeton7 Princeton
$ni#ersity
Press!
Dāstān-e Hossein Kord-e Šabestari @GJJH=FHnGB! #he tory of @ossein +ord habestari!
(nnotated by (bbas pabg)hi pabestari! &ehr)n7 Moaseseye 6nteo)r)te
Iarah)ni!
E!n Marhum <āh=ādeh 8ā&i Mohammad >ali Mir=ā7 $e5nalā!edin @FnOnM
FnON=FGNLMFGNK
"egiraB! Ahsā%iye-ye Ar$-e A,das wStatistics of the "oly Zandx! Manuscript from
the
National Zibrary of *ran, &ehr)n,
Kā9ei Sa!=e"āri7 Molānā 8ossein >ā?e= @FNOF=FHLJB! Futuvvatnāme-ye oltāni!
(nnotated by Mohammad Ja’far Mah'ub! &ehr)n7 6nteo)r)t sony)de Iarhange
*ran!
Mir=ā @otallāh @FOJKFOJO7FFFn or FFJn=FKNKFKNOB! #a%id Besārat wAid to ightx!
"andwritten
Manuscript on Swords and Swordmaking in the sritish Zibrary!
Nasrā!ādi Esahāni7 Mir=ā Mohammad Tāher @FNPF=FHFOB! #a$a'ore-ye (asrābādi!
(nnotated by ·ahid %astgerdi! &ehr)n7 ¸)pD)neye (rmaq)n!
Romuz-e Hamze @FNPJ=FHLN "egira7GGPB! "andwritten by Mohammad (li N)m¿!
&ehr)n7
perkate ¸)pe Ket)b!
Tah"ildār Esahāni7 8ossein !en Mohammad E!rāhim @FNKP=FHPGB! 2ogrāfiyā-ye
Esfahān:
2ogrāfiyā-ye #abi%i va Ensāni va Gmār-e Asnāf-e .ahr w&he ?eography of
*sfahan7 the Natural and "uman ?eography and the Statistics on Crafts from the
Cityx! (nnotated by Manouchehr Sotude! &ehr)n7 ¸)pD)neye %)neog)he
&ehr)n!
Tartusi7 A!u Tāher @GJJF=FHnJB! Abu !oslemnāme! (nnotated by "ossein 6sm)’ili!
Iour
·olumes! &ehr)n7 6nteo)r)te Moi’n, Naore matre, (n'omane *r)noen)si dar
*r)n!
Secondar5 Iranian sources
Ehsāni7 Mohammad TaAi @GJJH=FHnGB! @aft @e$ār āl @onar Fele$'āri Dar 5rān
wSe#en
&housand uears of the (rt of Metalworking in *ranx! &ehr)n7 perkate 6nteo)r)te
6lmi ·a Iarhangi!
Balsai7 Nasrollāh @FNNK=FHOLB! Bendegāni .āh Abbās w&he siography of p)h (bb)sx3
L
#ols! &ehr)n7 ¸)pD)neye Mah)rat!
Barah"a9i7 Cahrām @GJJGa=FHnFB! Farhang Baban <ahlavi w&he ZeDicon of Pahla#i
Zanguagex!
&ehr)n7 6nteo)r)te %aneog)he &ehr)n!
Barah"a9i7 Cahrām @GJJGb=FHnFB! Farhang Farsi be <ahlavi w&he ZeDicon of Persian
into
Pahla#ix! &ehr)n7 6nteo)r)te %)neog)h &ehr)n!
Kā=emini7 Kā=em @FNKP=FHPHB! (a,š-e <ahlavāni Va (eh$at-e Ayyāri Dar #ārix-e
E-temā%i Va
@ayāt-e iyāsi-ye !elat-e 5rān w&he tole of <ahlavānān and the mo#ement of
(yyari in
Social "istory and Political Settings of *ranB! &ehr)n7 ¸)pD)neye sanke Melli
*ranx!
Mir?i7 8asan @FNOJ=FHPNB! Gyneye <ahlavān (amā w&he Mirror of <ahlavānx! &ehr)n7
Mihan!
Semsār7 Mohammad 8asan @FNNO=FHOOB! (ssadoll)h 6sfah)ni! Dāeratolmaāref-e
Bo$org-e
Eslāmi w&he ?reat *slamic 6ncyclopaediax! &he 6ight ·olume! 6dited by KaAem
Musa#i
so'nordi! &ehr)n7 MarkaAe Dāeratolmaāref-e Bo$org-e Eslāmi, pp! GLOMGKJ!
International Sources
Allan7 Dames and Crian Elimour @GJJJB! <ersian teel: #he #anavoli Hollection!
>Dford7
>Dford $ni#ersity Press!
Bloor7 Willem @GJJHB! #raditional Hrafts in ;a-ar 5ran I7J88 K 7)E?L3 Costa Mesa7
MaAda
Publishers!
Ko!5linski7 @ech @GJJJB! Persian and *ndoPersian (rms! *n7 (ntoni tomuald
Chodynski @ed!B! Persian and *ndoPersian (rms and (rmor of FK
th
MFN
th
Century
from Polish Collections! Malbork7 MuAeum ¡amkowe w Malborku, pp ! LOMOP!
@e!ed5nsk57 Iarsla" @FNNGB! Les Armes *rientales! Za &our du Pin7 6ditions du
Portail!
MacKen=ie7 D1N1 @FNOFB! A Honcise <ahlavi Dictionary! Zondon7 >Dford $ni#ersity
Press!
Ma5er7 @1A1 @FNLOMLNB! SiDteen *slamic slades! <rince of Males !useum Bulletin
@sombayB K7 FMH!
MoshtaFh Khorasani7 Manouchehr @GJJKB! Arms and Armor from 5ran: the Bron$e
Age to
the End of the ;a-ar <eriod! &Àbingen7 Zegat ·erlag!
Petrasch7 Ernst7 Reinhard SGnFer7 E"a $immermann7 and 8ans EeorF Ma&er
@FNNFB! Die
+arlsruher #Nr'enbeute: die A#Nr'ische +ammerO des !ar'grafen LudFig
Milhelm von Baden-BadenP die A#Nr'ischen HuriositQtenO der !ar'grafen von
Baden-Durlach! MÀnchen7 "irmer ·erlag!
$eller7 Rudol and Ernst B1 Rohrer @FNLLB! *rientalische ammlung @enri !oser-
Hharlottenfels:Beschreibender +atalog der Maffensammlung! sern7
Kommissions#erlag
#on K!J! ¢yÁ 6rben (?!