Facebook
sprite-icon-instagram
Twitter
sprite-icon-wechat
Weibo
X
sprite-icon-youtube
sprite-icon-accessible
Group 3
sprite-icon-arrow
sprite-icon-audio-description
sprite-icon-calendar
sprite-icon-camera
UI/Chevron/Large/Black
sprite-icon-chevron
Artboard 1
sprite-icon-copyright
sprite-icon-data
sprite-icon-download
sprite-icon-grid
sprite-icon-image
i
sprite-icon-list
sprite-icon-magazine
sprite-icon-maximise
sprite-icon-museum
sprite-icon-osd-minus
sprite-icon-osd-plus
Group 6
sprite-icon-pin
sprite-icon-plus
sprite-icon-print
Fill 1
sprite-icon-share
sprite-icon-shop
sprite-icon-tag
sprite-icon-tea
sprite-icon-ten-percent-tag
Artboard 1
sprite-icon-wallet
sprite-icon-zoom
Skip to main content
Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience.
Menu
Main navigation
Visit
Toggle Visit submenu
Back
to previous menu
—
Visit
—
Visit
—
Family visits
—
Group visits
—
Audio app
—
Out-of-hours tours
—
Tours and talks
—
Object trails
—
Accessibility
—
Food and drink
—
Late opening on Fridays
—
Museum map
Exhibitions and events
Collection
Toggle Collection submenu
Back
to previous menu
—
Collection
—
Collection
—
Collection online
—
Galleries
—
Blog
—
The British Museum podcast
Learn
Toggle Learn submenu
Back
to previous menu
—
Learn
—
Learn
—
Schools
—
Communities
—
Adult learning
—
Young people
Membership
Toggle Membership submenu
Back
to previous menu
—
Membership
—
Membership
—
Members' events
—
Young Friends
—
Existing Members
—
Visiting as a Member
Support us
Toggle Support us submenu
Back
to previous menu
—
Support us
—
Donate
—
Corporate support
—
Become a Patron
—
Supporter case studies
—
Become a Volunteer
—
Existing Patrons
—
Leave a legacy
—
American Friends of the British Museum
Secondary navigation
Shop
Search
Donate
Hide menu
seal
;
intaglio
Object Type
seal
intaglio
Museum number
1880.3636
Description
Oval, red jasper seal with flat top, uneven base and bevelled sides. Three lines of cursive Arabic script. Small crescent above the qāf of yughraq.
Cultures/periods
Early Islamic
Production date
10thC-11thC
Production place
Made in:
Afghanistan
Excavator/field collector
Field Collection by:
Charles Masson
Findspot
Found/Acquired:
Kabul
, bazaar?
Materials
jasper
Technique
bevelled
engraved
Dimensions
Height:
14 millimetres
Thickness:
5 millimetres
Width:
19 millimetres
$Inscriptions
Bibliographic references
Porter 2011 / Arabic and Persian Seals and Amulets in the British Museum
(288)
Porter 2003 / Mightier than the sword: Arabic script - beauty and meaning
(54k)
Porter & Barakat 2004 / Mightier than the Sword: Arabic Script: Beauty and Meaning
(98k)
Errington 2021 / Charles Masson: Collections from Begram and Kabul Bazaar, Afghanistan 1833-1838
(p.223, fig.70.7)
Location
Not on display
Exhibition history
Exhibited: 2003 22 Mar-25 May, University of Melbourne, Ian Potter Museum of Art, 'Mightier than the Sword'
Acquisition name
Transferred from:
India Museum
Acquisition date
1880
Acquisition notes
Probably purchased by Masson in Kabul bazaar, 1833-8.
Department
Asia
Registration number
1880.3636
Additional IDs
Miscellaneous number:
IM.IsGems.2
(British Museum no.: India Museum collection)