Topkapi Emerald Dagger Catalogue Entry
Emeralds
The Topkapi Emerald Dagger’s three large titular emeralds reside on one side of its hilt. They are Colombian emeralds, and the middle emerald is cushion-cut and has a rectangular shape, whereas the other two emeralds are pear-shaped with the pointed ends facing the middle emerald. The Ottoman Empire adopted emeralds, particularly Colombian emeralds, as a symbol of power near the sixteenth century. The Safavids, Mughals, and other surrounding empires of the time, also took a quick liking to Colombian emeralds and adopted them to their cultures. According to art historian Walter Denny, Ottoman sultans would often have many large emeralds and other large stones across their weapons, turban ornaments, water flasks, and garments to demonstrate the power of the empire and put all the viewers in a state of awe. [1] Additionally, the color green in Islam is associated with Paradise from the Qur’an, thus granting emeralds and the Topkapi Dagger religious significance and even more symbolic power. Near the eighteenth century, the Ottomans would also often use emeralds for diplomatic purposes with nearby empires, and as religious offerings in Mecca and Medina. [2]
Golden Handle
The handle of the dagger is primarily composed of gold. Throughout the hilt, there are many small, vegetal, golden designs that resemble vines. One side of the handle contains three emeralds as well as small diamonds at the corners of the emeralds, whereas the other side of the handle contains mother-of-pearls and enamel. The two sides of the dagger are separated by two lines of small diamonds, and the top of the handle contains an octagonal-shaped emerald surrounded by two circles of small diamonds. The octagonal emerald and one of the diamond circles are on a cover that can open to reveal a small watch. The watch is believed to be an English watch, which some scholars argue to be a “mute testament to early modern globalization.” [3] The handle also has a gold chain studded with diamonds attached to it, with a small emerald attached to the end of the gold chain.
Golden Sheath
The sheath of the dagger is also primarily composed of gold and contains many small, vegetal, golden, vine-like designs. The middle of the sheath has a flower motif – particularly that of a vase containing a bouquet of flowers and fruits. [4] Flowers were very important to the Ottomans as there were many gardens full of flowers throughout the empire, and they became a symbol for power, protection, peace, and paradise as well. Flower motifs were seen in Ottoman clothes, art, textiles, weapons, and decorations. The bottom and top of the sheath are encrusted with numerous diamonds; the bottom of the sheath contains thirty one diamonds that are placed symmetrically into a design. Most of the diamonds are rectangular, however there are many diamonds of many shapes and cuts including oval, round, and pear-shaped diamonds. The top of the sheath contains twenty one diamonds that are also placed symmetrically in an intricate, but different design. The tip of the sheath contains another small Colombian emerald.
History
From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire had strained relations with its neighboring Iranian dynasties. This led to a series of wars between the Ottomans and Iranians collectively known as the Ottoman-Iranian Wars. One of these wars is the Ottoman-Iranian War of 1743-1746 between the Ottoman Empire and Afsharid Iran. Although Safavid Iran (1501-1736) was once a big, strong empire that ruled for over two thousand years, towards the end of the seventeenth century, the empire started to decline and lose territory until it ultimately ended in 1736 when military leader Nadir Shah overthrew Safavid Iran and established its successor – Afsharid Iran. [5] Nadir Shah was an aggressive ruler and military leader who set out to reclaim the land lost under the rule of the Safavids. Thus, Afsharid Iran fought with many of its neighboring territories, such as the Mughal Empire, and expanded its territory. In 1743, the Afsharids turned their sights to the Ottomans and Nadir Shah declared war to reclaim Baghdad and to force the Ottomans to accept Ja’fari as the fifth school of Sunni Islam. [6] The war lasted for approximately three years and concluded with no clear victor when the Treaty of Kerden was signed on September 4, 1746. [7] In order to solidify the good political standing between the Ottomans and Afsharids, Shah Nadir sent expensive gifts to Sultan Mahmud I, and the Sultan reciprocated by commissioning the Topkapi Emerald Dagger and other items and gifting them to Shah Nadir, but they never reached the Iranian ruler. Although Nadir Shah was successful with his military conquests, he was not well-liked by the people as he was a paranoid and cruel ruler and was assassinated on June 20, 1747 while the gifts were still in transit. Due to the assassination, the Topkapi Emerald Dagger was returned to the Ottoman Topkapi Palace.
Film Debut
In 1962, English author Eric Ambler published his book The Light of Day which follows a fictional heist of the Topkapi Museum. Shortly after in 1964, a film adaptation was released as Topkapi and the Topkapi Emerald Dagger was put in an international spotlight. The film follows fictional jewel thief Elizabeth Lipp (played by Melina Mercouri) as she visits Istanbul and runs into a fair which showcases replicas of various items from the Topkapi Palace, including the Topkapi Emerald Dagger. When Elizabeth sees the dagger and its extravagance, she decides she must steal the real dagger, so she contacts Walter Harper (played by Robert Morely) and they devise a plan and assemble a team which includes Arthur Simon Simpson (played by Peter Ustinov) and three other thieves. Simpson is tasked with driving a car with explosives into Turkey, but the police discover the explosives and enlist Simpson as a spy for them. Despite the police knowing their presence, the thieves are still able to successfully steal the Topkapi Emerald Dagger and replace it with a replica without alerting the police. However, unbeknownst to the thieves, a bird flies into the Topkapi Museum during the heist, and later when the thieves attempt to prove their innocence to the police, the bird triggers an alarm inside the museum which allows the police to arrest the thieves and recover the dagger. [8] The Topkapi Emerald Dagger’s large role in the film brought it international fame - numerous replicas of the dagger began to be made and sold across the world and the Topkapi Museum saw an influx of visitors following the film’s release.
Jambiyas
The Topkapi Emerald Dagger takes the form of a jambiya, a type of curved dagger worn by men in many Arabic regions. Although jambiyas are often designed to be decorative since the hilt of a jambiya signifies the status of its owner, they were also used as weapons. This Albanian Jambiya was created around the same time as the Topkapi Emerald Dagger in the eighteenth century by an unknown individual, and they share many similarities and differences. [9] The handle and sheath of the Albanian Jambiya are intricately decorated with designs and stones that indicate master craftsmanship, much like the Topkapi Dagger. However, they differ in the quality of materials. While the Albanian Dagger primarily uses copper, coral, and brass, the Topkapi Dagger is composed of much more expensive gold, emeralds, and diamonds. As such, the owner of the Topkapi Jambiya would be considered to be much more elite and respected than the owner of the Albanian Jambiya. The Ottomans created the Topkapi Dagger with the intent of it to be better than all other daggers of the type, and the quality of the materials including the gold supports that goal.
Yatagan from the Court of Suleyman the Magnificent
In addition to the Topkapi Dagger, the Ottomans created other golden weapons such as the Yatagan from the Court of Suleyman the Magnificent. The ivory hilt of the sword is inlaid with some gold that creates a floral design which resembles the vegetal designs of the Topkapi Dagger, but the Yatagan hilt only contains a few small pearls and turquoise for its gems. The Yatagan further differs as it contains gold decoration on its blade which depicts more floral designs as well as a dragon-and-phoenix combat motif which is not seen in the Topkapi dagger but is seen in many Ottoman and Iranian weapons and artworks. [10] This Yatagan demonstrates that even among the standard of intricate, golden weapons of the Ottoman Court, the Topkapi Dagger rises above to a new level with its heightened use of gold and emeralds.
Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I
Although Sultan Mahmud I created the Topkapi Emerald Dagger to gift to Nadir Shah, he also commissioned many similar luxurious, extravagant weapons for himself. One of these weapons includes the Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I. Much like the Topkapi Dagger, the Sultan’s gun is completely covered in gold and lined with numerous diamonds and emeralds. However, the gun takes a different approach by also inscribing the Arabic phrase “ma sha’a Allah” (what God has willed), offering the gun a more direct religious association. [11] Although gold and jewels make weapons more impractical to use, Sultan Mahmud I and many other Ottoman elites opted to invest to create and carry such weapons with them in order to display their status, power, and wealth.
Extravegance
Despite the Topkapi Emerald Dagger being commissioned as a diplomatic gift for a different empire to enjoy, the Ottomans spared no expenses with it. Similar to other weapons of the Ottoman royalty, the Topkapi Emerald Dagger’s hilt and sheath are made up of a great amount of expensive gold, and are adorned with big Columbian emeralds and numerous precious diamonds. The creation of such an extravagant, expensive dagger that is unlike anything seen before it was not necessary, yet Sultan Mahmud I still opted to do so with the purpose to send a message to Shah Nadir and the Afsharid Empire that the Ottomans are a powerful, wealthy empire who demand respect and peace following the Ottoman-Iranian War of 1743-1746.
[1] Kris E. Lane, Colour of Paradise: Emeralds in the Age of the Gunpowder Empires (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 158.
[2] Lane, “Colour of Paradise,” 159.
[3] Pimentel Igea Juan Félix and Mark Thurner, New World Objects of Knowledge: A Cabinet of Curiosities (London: University of London Press, 2021), 168.
[4] Spencer P. Harrington, “Wonders of Memphis,” Archaeology 45, no. 4 (1992): 44.
[5] John Foran, “The Long Fall of the Safavid Dynasty: Moving Beyond the Standard Views,” International Journal of Middle East Studies 24, no. 2 (1992): 281.
[6] Ernest Tucker, “Nadir Shah and the Ja 'Fari Madhhab Reconsidered,” Iranian Studies 27, no. 1/4 (1994): 163.
[7] Shihaan Larif, “The Topkapi Emerald Dagger at the Topkapi Museum,” Internetstones.com, August 28, 2020, accessed March 22, 2023, https://internetstones.com/the-topkapi-emerald-dagger-at-the-topkapimuseum/.
[8] Larif, “The Topkapi Emerald Dagger at the Topkapi Museum.”
[9] “Dagger (Jambiya) with Sheath: Albanian,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed April 23, 2023, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/31575.
[10] David G. Alexander, Stuart W. Pyhrr, and Will Kwiatkowski, Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015), 152-153
[11] “Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I,” The Walters Art Museum, August 1, 2022, accessed April 28, 2023, https://art.thewalters.org/detail/22655/rifle/.
Bibliography
Alexander, David G., Stuart W. Pyhrr, and Will Kwiatkowski. Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.
“Dagger (Jambiya) with Sheath: Albanian.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed April 23, 2023. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/31575.
Foran, John. “The Long Fall of the Safavid Dynasty: Moving Beyond the Standard Views.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 24, no. 2 (1992): 281–304.
Félix, Pimentel Igea Juan and Mark Thurner. New World Objects of Knowledge: A Cabinet of Curiosities. London: University of London Press, 2021.
Harrington, Spencer P. “Wonders of Memphis.” Archaeology 45, no. 4 (1992): 44–51.
“Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I.” The Walters Art Museum, August 1, 2022. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://art.thewalters.org/detail/22655/rifle/.
Lane, Kris E. Colour of Paradise: Emeralds in the Age of the Gunpowder Empires. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010.
Larif, Shihaan. “The Topkapi Emerald Dagger at the Topkapi Museum.” Internetstones.com, August 28, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2023. https://internetstones.com/the-topkapi-emerald-dagger-at-the-topkapi-museum/.
Lewis, Bernard. “Some Reflections on the Decline of the Ottoman Empire.” Studia Islamica no. 9 (1958): 111–27. https://doi.org/10.2307/1594978.
Tucker, Ernest. “Nadir Shah and the Ja 'Fari Madhhab Reconsidered.” Iranian Studies 27, no. 1/4 (1994): 163–79.
Özlü, Ni̇lay. “‘Barbarous Magnificence in Glass Cases’: The Imperial Treasury and Ottoman Self-Display at the Topkapı Palace." Muqarnas Online 39.1 (2022): 153-192. https://doi.org/10.1163/22118993-00391P08.