XV. SEALS OF THE ARAB PERIOD (632 to 1517 A.D.):
- (DC. I). Carnelian. Rectangular stamp seal, flat on both faces,
with the edges rounded on the back and bevelled
on the base. 22 x 19 x 3 mm.
On the base is an Arabic inscription in the Naskhi script, partly
inked in with a black pigment and reading as
follows: (1) Baha ad-Dawlah waDiya al-Millah wa 'Iyad (2) al-A
jjah Shahanshah Abu19 Nasr (3) ibn 'A dud ad-
Dawlah waTaj al-Millah, "The Splendor of the State and the
Illumination of the Faith and the Refuge from the
Heat, King of Kings, Abu Nasr, the son of the Supporting Arm of
the State ('Adud ad-Dawlah) and the Crown of
the Faith." The owner of this seal, Abu Nasr, reigned from 989 to
1012 A.D. as the son and second successor of
'Adud ad-Dawlah, the greatest of the Buwayhid princes of Western
Persia. The latter was the first ruler in Islam to
bear the title Shahanshah (a shortened form of the Persian royal
title Shahanshah), 20 and the title Taj al-Millah was
bestowed on him by the Caliph at-Ta'i' in 979 A.D. 'Adud was
succeeded first by his son Sharaf ad-Dawlah and then,
on the latter's death in 989, by his other son, Abu Nasr, who on
assuming the throne was surnamed by the Caliph
Baha' ad-Dawlah waDiya-' al-Millah.21 There seems to
be no reference to his assumption of the
further title 'Iyad al-Ajjah, so that this title may be new.22
-
(DC. 3). Dark agate. Oblong stamp seal with a rounded edge,
flat on both faces. 18 x 12 x 3 mm.
On the base is an Arabic inscription in the Kufic script reading
as follows: "All, the son of Sa'id," with
"Allah" written immediately above this as an expression of the
owner's piety.
-
(DC. 2). Carnelian. Oblong ring-setting with a slightly convex
back and a flat base. 13 x 10 x 5 mm
On the base is an Arabic inscription in the Naskhi script reading
as follows: "Ibn(?) Mansur." The reading of
the first sign is exceedingly doubtful. The little circle over
the inscription may be a sukun, but it is more likely
purely ornamental.
XVI. NORTH SYRIAN(?) SEAL:
- (D. 1576). Dark marble. Much worn cylinder seal. 17 x 10 mm.
The scene is in two registers separated by a rope-like line,
which may suggest a North Syrian origin.23 In the
upper register are quadrupeds in single file standing on their
forelegs; in the lower register are dogs walking in single
file;
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19. The alif of Abu here appears as a ta', manifestly a scribal
error of the seal cutter.
20. See P. Hitti, A History of the Arabs, 2nd ed., 1940, p. 472.
21. See as-Suyuti, Eng. transl. by H. S. Jarrett, History of the
Caliphs, 1881, pp. 427 and 430.
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22. For an extended account of the reign of Abu Nasr see H. F.
Amedroz and D. S. Margoliouth, The Eclipse of the 'Abbasid
Caliphate, VI,
1921, 159489.
23. Cf. e.g. A. Moortgat, op. cit. No. 532.
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