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Lot Essay
The brass plaque applied to this sword links it and the group to which it belongs to the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia. The French invasion of 1881 saw the Great Mosque attacked by the French and a number of objects taken away as the spoils of war, including several of these great swords. The plaque bears the name of the Lieutenant who presumably captured this sword.
These swords, of heavy iron, were sheathed in wooden scabbards and were part of a larger group of, often oversized, iron-forged objects such as storage trunks and giant anchors. The objects carry inscriptions in maghribi script in the form of intaglio engravings. The inscription on our sword contains Qur’anic verses, prophesies and some details relating to a renowned blacksmith called Sidi Amor (also known as Sidi Abbada or Amor Ibn Salam al-Ayari) and his life. Sidi Amor (d. AH 1271/1855-6 AD) was originally from the region of Makhtar. He was a master blacksmith and philosopher, who was famed for creating such oversized objects densely decorated with inscriptions explaining their purpose – swords, for instance, that should protect but not kill, candles of wisdom and keys that only God could turn. Locals both feared him and sought his blessings believing that he possessed super natural powers. His zawiya, or mausoleum, in Kairouan has been turned into a museum. Preserved within are a great number of essentially dysfunctional giant objects, including swords very similar to that offered here. His personal sword, which is near identical to this in style, is preserved in the museum associated with the Great Mosque of Kairouan.
It is said that worshippers could take clay impressions of these giant swords as religious protectorate symbols of reverence.
These swords, of heavy iron, were sheathed in wooden scabbards and were part of a larger group of, often oversized, iron-forged objects such as storage trunks and giant anchors. The objects carry inscriptions in maghribi script in the form of intaglio engravings. The inscription on our sword contains Qur’anic verses, prophesies and some details relating to a renowned blacksmith called Sidi Amor (also known as Sidi Abbada or Amor Ibn Salam al-Ayari) and his life. Sidi Amor (d. AH 1271/1855-6 AD) was originally from the region of Makhtar. He was a master blacksmith and philosopher, who was famed for creating such oversized objects densely decorated with inscriptions explaining their purpose – swords, for instance, that should protect but not kill, candles of wisdom and keys that only God could turn. Locals both feared him and sought his blessings believing that he possessed super natural powers. His zawiya, or mausoleum, in Kairouan has been turned into a museum. Preserved within are a great number of essentially dysfunctional giant objects, including swords very similar to that offered here. His personal sword, which is near identical to this in style, is preserved in the museum associated with the Great Mosque of Kairouan.
It is said that worshippers could take clay impressions of these giant swords as religious protectorate symbols of reverence.