Shirt functioning as a talisman in Islamic culture
A talismanic shirt (or talisman shirt;
Turkish: tılsımlı gömlek;
Persian: پیراهن طلسمات,
romanized: pirâhan telesmat) is a worn textile
talisman. Talismanic shirts are found throughout the
Muslim world. The shirts can be grouped to four types which differ in style and the symbols used: an
Ottoman, a
Safavid, a
Mughal and a West African one.[1]
The earliest surviving examples were made approximately in 15th century,[1] though the tradition of talismanic shirts might be much older. In
Surah Yusuf of the
Quran, a shirt of the prophet
Joseph is described as giving him protection and even miracle-working. He hands it over so it can heal the blindness of his father
Jacob: "Go with this my shirt, and cast it over the face of my father: he will come to see"[
Quran12:93.
The shirts may be
inscribed with verses from Quran, names of
Allah and of prophets and with numbers. They may carry images or symbols, e.g. astrological ones. The inscribed names are believed to be capable of offering protection and guidance to the carrier.[2] Although talismanic shirts can be worn to protect against many evils most of them seem to be intended as a shield in battle.[1]
Talismanic shirt for
Sultan Cem, 1480,
Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul. It was produced when Cem was still
Şehzade. Unusually, the beginning and end of the manufacturing of the object are inscribed.
The
Khalili Collections include four talismanic shirts. The
Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage has shirts from 17th century Turkey (TXT 545) and from 16th or 17th century
Mughal India (TXT 471) that depict the holy sites of Mecca and Medina and are inscribed with prayers and extracts from the Quran.[5][6] The one from Turkey is unusual in having realistic, rather than schematic, depictions of the holy sites.[7] The
Khalili Collection of Islamic Art includes shirts from 16th century Turkey (TXT 463) and 18th/19th century India (TXT 574).[8][9]
See also
Ghost shirt – Historic Indigenous religious clothing
Cloak of Muhammad – Cloak believed to have been worn by the founder of Islam