Islamic Talismanic Shirts from the Gunpowder Empires
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2014 God is the Best Guardian: Islamic Talismanic Shirts from the Gunpowder Empires Rose Evelyn Muravchick University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Art and Materials Conservation Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Muravchick, Rose Evelyn, "God is the Best Guardian: Islamic Talismanic Shirts from the Gunpowder Empires" (2014). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1380. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1380 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1380 For more information, please contact [email protected]. God is the Best Guardian: Islamic Talismanic Shirts from the Gunpowder Empires Abstract Islamic talismanic shirts are fragile and highly ornamented textiles that feature Qur'anic text, magic squares, and other complex design elements common to talismanic objects of smaller, more portable form. The way in which these garments invoke the human body and thus differ from other talismans is of primary importance in understanding their creation and potential use. This study is based on data from over 80 Islamic talismanic shirts that is used to support a fuller articulation of the sartorial systems of robing common to the Ottoman and South Asian worlds within which they circulated. Two of these systems, the khila' (robe of honor) and the khirqa (the Sufi cloak) provide important insights into how garments become the physical markers of bodily interactions. By reinforcing the relationship between textiles and the human body within these systems, it becomes clear that Islamic talismanic shirts amplify the protective function of Qur'anic text through preserving the fleeting traces of human contact. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Religious Studies First Advisor Jamal J. Elias Keywords Islam, Talismans, Textiles Subject Categories Art and Materials Conservation | Religion This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1380 GOD IS THE BEST GUARDIAN: ISLAMIC TALISMANIC SHIRTS FROM THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES Rose Muravchick A DISSERTATION in Religious Studies Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 Supervisor of Dissertation ______ ______________________ Jamal J. Elias Professor, Religious Studies and South Asia Studies Graduate Group Chairperson ______ ______________________ Anthea Butler, Associate Professor, Religious Studies Dissertation Committee: Renata Holod Professor, History of Art E. Ann Matter Professor, Religious Studies GOD IS THE BEST GUARDIAN: ISLAMIC TALISMANIC SHIRTS FROM THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES COPYRIGHT 2014 Rose Muravchick This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ . For M + D: Drs. Arlene Olson and Stanley Muravchick iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT This project is the textual residue of many years of study. Many colleagues, mentors, and friends played a crucial role in bringing this project to life and supporting my efforts to make that happen. From the very first days of my graduate program, my supervisor Jamal J. Elias encouraged me to pursue a unique combination of interests which have ultimately lead me to the completion of this project, and for that I am deeply grateful. I thank him for the many spirited conversations that we have shared over the years and I look forward to more to come. The topic of this dissertation was the result of one (of many) stimulating and important exchanges with Renata Holod, and I thank her for her continued support and expertise. I have found her courses, symposia, and lectures to be among the most energizing I have ever taken, and I hope to do her example justice in the years that follow. E. Ann Matter has been a critical part of my academic career for over 10 years, and I thank her for her continued support of my work, her gracious feedback, and her unfailing optimism. Professors Paul Cobb and Joseph Lowry of the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department both devoted time and patience to help instruct me at critical moments in this project’s development. My graduate chair, Anthea Butler, worked diligiently in support of my defense, wrangled many complicated logistical issues, and lent a supportive ear on many critical occasions. Several curators have been especially helpful in supporting my research, for which I extend my thanks: John-Henry Rice (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) for his time and kindness in examining their talismanic shirt, Louise Mackie (Cleveland Museum of iv Art) who gave me an invaluable hands-on education about textile construction as well as inspiration and mentorship through the dissertation process, and Sumru Krody (Textile Museum) who gave me access to photographs of unpublished talismanic shirts. Thanks are also due to the staff at the Library of Congress’s African and Middle Eastern Reading Room for their assistance in showing me a talismanic shirt in their collection. Several colleagues lent their time in reading portions of this manuscript and each gave me meaningful feedback: Ryan Rittenberg, Eiren Shea, and Murad Idris. Elias Saba provided assistance in tracking down auction information from the Netherlands. Ozgen Felek continues to be a gracious colleague with similar interests, and our conversations have lent important insights to this project. Jeffery Arsenault has been and will always be a source of support, laughter, and comic books; three things in short supply in one’s graduate career. I also am indebted to Caroline Weist who has kept me in good health and good spirits during highly challenging moments, and who facilitated my travel to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Mehmet Darakçıo ğlu of the University’s Middle East Center spent many hours translating emails into Turkish in an attempt to help me gain access to materials in Istanbul, and I thank him for his efforts. I am appreciative of the emails I was able to exchange with Hülya Tezcan, and I thank her for her excellent work on these beautiful objects. In the department of Religious Studies, our former assistant to the chair, Renee Campbell, put out many small fires and helped to make an already stressful process a bit smoother. My parents, Dr. Arlene Olson and Dr. Stanley Muravchick deserve acknowledgement for many things, but I will here thank them for their support of my v academic pursuits, as well as for the use of their house as a writing retreat on several occasions. With the completion of this dissertation, I am proud to fully join our family of academics. The last (and ultimate) word of acknowledgement here is reserved for my husband Nicholas Harris, the smartest man I know, who has given freely of his time, expertise, support, and love. In spite of all the warnings about the “two body problem,” I am convinced that the two of us are better as a team. No one should have to go this road alone, but few of us ever get so lucky as to have a true partner to travel alongside. vi ABSTRACT GOD IS THE BEST GUARDIAN: ISLAMIC TALISMANIC SHIRTS FROM THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES Rose Muravchick Jamal J. Elias Islamic talismanic shirts are fragile and highly ornamented textiles that feature Qur’anic text, magic squares, and other complex design elements common to talismanic objects of smaller, more portable form. The way in which these garments invoke the human body and thus differ from other talismans is of primary importance in understanding their creation and potential use. This study is based on data from over 80 Islamic talismanic shirts that is used to support a fuller articulation of the sartorial systems of robing common to the Ottoman and South Asian worlds within which they circulated. Two of these systems, the khila‘ (robe of honor) and the khirqa (the Sufi cloak) provide important insights into how garments become the physical markers of bodily interactions. By reinforcing the relationship between textiles and the human body within these systems, it becomes clear that Islamic talismanic shirts amplify the protective function of Qur’anic text through preserving the fleeting traces of human contact. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... VII LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... XI INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 Situating the Gunpowder Empires ........................................................................................................... 2 Technical Specifications for the Corpus of Islamic Talismanic Shirts ..................................................... 4 Exhibition History ................................................................................................................................... 9 Publications and Review of Literature ................................................................................................... 15 Chapter Summary and Organization of Project ....................................................................................