Egypt & Near East
Solar Barque of Ra
Solar Barque of Ra
Crossing the sky by day and the underworld by night, it makes the sun rise again.
MountFirst recorded c. 2400 BCE
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Photograph: A Turkish kilij. A nineteenth-century gold guard and curved grip of nephrite are mounted on a blade inlaid with gold designs and letters.
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2,084 × 3,000 PX2084×3000
ArchiveEgypt & Near East · Weapon
Dhu al-Fiqar
Dhū al-Fiqār (ذو الفقار)
A blade forked at the tip. “No youth like Ali, no sword like Dhu al-Fiqar.”
- Owner
- The Prophet Muhammad, later Ali
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- Ibn Ishaq, Life of the Prophet750
- Gallery
- Egypt & Near East
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
Dhu al-Fiqar is said to have been a sword the Prophet Muhammad obtained after the battle of Badr, which passed at the battle of Uhud to Ali, his cousin and son-in-law. The name is interpreted as "having vertebrae."
Tradition relates that when Ali fought bravely with this sword at Uhud, a voice was heard from heaven: "There is no youth like Ali, no sword like Dhu al-Fiqar."
It is usually drawn as a sword forked in two at the tip. In Shi'a Islam especially it became an emblem of Ali and justice, used on banners, amulets and even the flags of Ottoman armies.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Sword (Kilij)(hilt and guard, Turkish; grip, Indian, hilt and guard, 19th century; grip, possibly 18th century), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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