The Robe as a Storybook

Contents: Prophet Sulaiman / King Solomon | Vamiq and Azra | Haroun al-Rashid and the ‘House of Wisdom' | Sultan Sanjar and the Old Woman

The Robe as a Storybook

High-ranking officials in Islamic ruling territories were sometimes awarded with an embroidered armband that displayed Arabic inscriptions to provide blessings on the wearer. These textiles were called Tiraz. Textiles and clothing are often illustrative of the wearer’s allegiance, as well as their political or societal standing. The origins of the AKM robe are unknown and consequently, its purposes for why it was worn or who might have worn it, is also hidden. Perhaps, the symbolic traits of the Tiraz can be applied to this study of the robe to be understood as both an object of aesthetics as well as metaphorical and symbolic values. In doing so, this metaphorical approach tackles the question of why all four stories are depicted on a singular robe, and further, what its intended meaning was for either the maker or wearer of the robe. In this, I use the function of the Tiraz in relation to the AKM robe, and argue that perhaps, the robe uses its four stories in a similar fashion to the inscriptions on the Tiraz, where each story invokes a blessing and a lesson for its wearer.

Examining the Lessons of the Four Tales

Prophet Sulaiman / King Solomon

Painting of King Solomon's seated on a gold throne above a congregation of creatures and beings. The image was likely intended to demonstrate the King's influence over the realm of animals, angels, celestial beings and demons. The horned human-like creatures bear a strong resemblance to Islamic artistic representations of the Jinn, a demon or genie, a mythological invisible evil force. In Islamic tales and within the Qur'an, Solomon is referenced as the ruler of the Jinn.
King Solomon and His Court
Illuminated manuscript illustrating Solomon enthroned at the top centre of the illustration. The illustration of the wise and powerful king features him above horizantal rows of his subjects. Simillarly to the AKM PS24 robe, the character known in Islamic tellings as the "Jinn", or in Persian tellings as "Divs" (demon) are pictured on the second row from the bottom of the page, as large, horned creatures. In the Qur'an and the Shahnameh, King Solomon is titled as the "King of the Jinn", possessing the power to control and communicate with all creatures including the demons who he summons to do his work. The manuscript was dedicated to Ottoman Sultan Bayazid. Source: (https://viewer.cbl.ie/viewer/image/T_406_1/1/)
Solomon Enthroned, from the Book of Solomon (Suleymannama)
Illuminated manuscript taken from the 13th century copy of the "Anvar-i Suhayli", (The Lights of Canopus). In this illustration, the wisdom of King Solomon is portrayed through his ability to converse with all mankind and creatures, including animals. Solomon's depiction of wisdom through the use of animals is a common storytelling tactic in Persian and Islamic depictions of the wise king. The following excerpt from the Chester Beatty Online Collection provides further detail for the depicted scene: "One day, he had the opportunity to drink the water of life, and to live forever. Hesitating, he decided first to take advice from the animals and birds. They all gathered at his court, and discussed the great decision. The heron advised the king not to choose immortality. There was only enough water for one person, the bird said, so if Solomon were to drink it, then he would outlive everyone he loved."
Solomon takes advice from the animals, from Lights of Canopus (Anvar-i-Suhayli)

King Solomon ruled from his throne in Jerusalem and was a person who is detailed in Judaic, Islamic and Christian scriptures to have been blessed with infinite wisdom by God. The reference to the story in a Central Asian robe serves as an indicator of religious ideologies like Judaic, Islamic and Christian teachings were also spread across the Silk Roads.

Vamiq and Azra

Mosaic floor pattern of lovers, Metiochus and Parthenope found in Zeugma, Commagene (ancient Greco-Iranian kingdom)
Metiochus and Parthenope
Photograph of AKM PS24 Robe, focusing on the back bottom-left panel of the robe, depicting a scene with Vamiq and Azra. A story deriving from the eleventh-century Iranian poet, Unṣurī in his work titled, "The Virgin and Her Lover". The story is an epic retelling of the Greek 1st century story of Parthenope and Metiochus. In this embroidery, Vamiq and Azra are seated on a carpet, facing one another, seemingly in conversation. The scene likely depicts their debate over "Eros" or the effigy of love, as found in both the Persian and Greek tellings of the story. The Farsi script above the embroidered characters is not legible but one decipherable word in the sentence appears to mention the word "agree" , perhaps referencing Vamiq and Azra's discussion of love and their potential agreement with their interpretations.
Robe Embroidery of Vamiq and Azra

The story of the Virgin and Her Lover spans a thousand year period, beginning in the 1st Century BC where the virgin princess, Parthenope, and Metiochus fall in love but the virgin vows to keep her virtue and chooses death over a life with Metiochus. In the Persian retelling a thousand years later, Vamiq and Adhra meet under similar circumstances however, Adhra’s infatuation with Vamiq leads her to meet him unaccompanied, and is caught by her father who banishes to life in a convent for bringing shame upon their family. The journey of this particular story poses larger questions of how tales and mythological stories might have crossed Europe and the Mediterranean through the pilgrims, travelers, merchants and visitors to the silk roads.

Haroun al-Rashid and the ‘House of Wisdom’

Miniature painting taken from a Nigaristan manuscript (East Azerbaijan, province of Iran). The miniature features the grandeur of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid's palace. In the painting, his vizer is seated at the top of the room, receiving guests on behalf of the Caliph who is not pictured. In Thousand and One Nights, the Caliph is depicted as "The Well-Guided" whose rise to power and wise actions paint him as a strong, well-suited ruler for Baghdad. The Caliph is perhaps more well-known for his support of the arts, literature and science which led to his creation of the "House of Wisdom", the Grand Library of Baghdad. He is also known for his grand gift to Charlemange, the King of the Franks, to whom he sent an elephant to Europe as a gift for the European ruler.
Haroun al-Rashid and the ‘House of Wisdom'

Haroun al-Rashid ruled as the Caliph of Baghdad in present-day Iraq. (Subramaniam, p.210). The Aga Khan Museum labels the illustrated scene as a depiction of the Caliph’s encounter with Charlemagne of the Franks. While no Arabic texts hold a record of this encounter, all accounts of their allyship derive from Western sources where the Caliph was praised as a wealthy, revered foreign leader. The depiction of this story then indicates that stories spread along the Silk Roads, highlighting even foreign stories and people living beyond the Silk Roads.

Sultan Sanjar and the Old Woman

Manuscript leaf from the Baysunghur Shahnameh Manuscript. The illustration depicts a scene from Mahsan al-Asrar (Treasury of Secrets) with an encounter between Sultan Sanjar and an Old Woman
Sultan Sanjar and the Old Woman
Side view of the Aga Khan Museum's PS24, Robe. Embroidered illustration of Sultan Sanjar and the Old Woman. Depicts a scene from the Treasury of Secrets epic poem written in the Shahnameh.
Robe Embroidery of Sultan Sanjar and the Old Woman

The Baysunghur Manuscript, a later copy of the Shahnameh, was commissioned by Timurid Prince Baysunghur Mirza who ruled in Herat Afghanistan. This illuminated manuscript depicts the legendary scene of Sultan Sanjar, the ruler of the Khorasan Province of Iran who is humbled by and given wise lesson from an old lady.