art-of-swords:Sword of Dara ShikohDated: 1640-1641Place of Origin: Lahore, Pakistan Medium and Techn
art-of-swords:Sword of Dara ShikohDated: 1640-1641Place of Origin: Lahore, Pakistan Medium and Techniques: watered steel; gold; enamel; wood; velvetMeasurements: overall length: 85.1 cm, blade length: 71.7 cm, scabbard length: 73.8 cmMarks and inscriptions: In tegh-e shahzada-i Dara Shokuh/Kar-i hazar khasm ba yekdam konad tamamThe very fine watered steel blade of this sword is inscribed on the back of the blade with a Persian inscription inlaid in gold stating that it belonged to the Mughal prince Dara Shokuh (1615-1659), the son and preferred successor of the emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658).The verses may be translated as: “This sword (tigh) of the prince called Dara Shokuh/Takes care of a thousand enemies at one go”. When Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658, another son, Aurangzeb, usurped the throne, had Dara Shokuh killed during a fierce war of succession and declared himself emperor with the title ‘Alamgir. The blade is also inlaid on one side with a gold parasol signifying its royal ownership. The sword must have been made in a court workshop, perhaps in Lahore which was a traditional centre of weapons production. A date is stamped on one side of the blade near a forte. The third digit is indistinct, but is probably ‘5’, making the date 1050 AH, or 1640-41.Source: Copyright 2013 © V&A Images -- source link