Ancient Manuscript Review 191 : Antique Ottoman Era document / Letter ( 1248 AH)

This is a document written in old Turkish. The document was originally folded and sealed. I couldn't figure out what type of document this is. It could be a legal document or a personal ones. There is a signature and with a date of 1248 AH at the bottom of the letter. Its equivalent to 1832 CE.  The letter is written in Riqaah script in black.
I don't have much information of this kind of manuscript and its writing tradition. I need to do more research on this manuscript and will update this entry later. I welcome any feedback on this letter.

My other similar document is in below link
Ottoman Letter 01
Ottoman Letter 02
Ottoman Letter 03
Ottoman Letter 04

Manuscript Specs

Item : Ottoman document
Content :  Unknown
Dim : 220mm x 160mm
Date : 1248 AH
Copyist : indechiperable
Origin :  Turkey
Calligraphy : Riqaah
Design :
Purchased Price :US

Ancient Manuscript Review 190 : Antique Bible / Christianity written in Classical Greek on Papyrus from Egypt ( 4th-7th Century CE )

This is a papyrus fragment written in Classical Greek  language in black ink. Origin from Egypt and purchased from Antique Store in USA in 2016. I discovered this fragment among with my other Arabic papyrus fragments. Comparing this fragment with some papyrus from UPENN, they have similar fragments indicating in Classical Greek and topic on Christianity. This is the link, Greek Papyrus. which dating the fragment from 4th-7th Century CE.
I don't have much information of this kind of manuscript and its writing tradition. I need to do more research on this manuscript and will update this entry later. I welcome any feedback on this fragment.

Manuscript Specs

Item :Classical Greek Papyus Manuscript
Content :  Bible / Christianity
Dim : 120mm x 75mm
Date : 4-7th century CE
Copyist :  N/A
Origin :  Egypt
Calligraphy : Classical Greek
Design :
Purchased Price :US

Ancient Coin Review 106 : Antique Spanish Coin ( Pirate cob) from Ferdinand & Isabella reign ( 1474-1504 CE) : The Spanish Expulsion

This is a coin from the era of King Ferdinand & Isabella reigning Spain from 1469 - 1504 CE.
These are infamous royal couple who drove Muslim out of Spain in the 15th Century.

Below is an excerpt from Al-Islam on the fall of the last stronghold of Andalusia in Spain:
 

1491 is the date for the Castilian and Aragonese seizure of Granada, on the 2nd of January, ten months before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America (or was it the Bahamas, and the Caribbean coast) certainly not the United States as we know them today). Much water has flowed under our bridges since then and into the broad Atlantic that Columbus and his three ships crossed that same year.
The city and kingdom of Granada in south-eastern Spain represented Islam's last stronghold on the Iberian peninsula. Washington Irving (no kin of mine, but an excellent writer) during his service of the United States legation in Madrid, interested himself in this period of Spanish history, and rescued the Alhambra from the horde of gypsies he found encamped there. Then in Lindaraja, the beautiful two‑windowed room overlooking the courtyard and city, he wrote his Tales from the Alhambra and went on to chronicle that fascinating period in Spanish history. He also wrote an excellent biography or Sirah of the Prophet that we should rescue today from the strange spellings of that early age of Orientalism.
The Treaty of Granada, which had been drawn up in the previous year, 1491, between representatives of the crowns of Castile, Aragon and Granada, conceded this last city and its kingdom to Castile. In this treaty, the Granadines were guaranteed their religious liberty. The Philadelphia Quaker Henry Lea has written on the subsequent history when that solemn treaty was broken by a Catholic churchman, Cardinal Francisco Xhnenez de Cisneros.
At the end of the 15th century, the five kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula, or what we now call Spain and Portugal, were: Castile, Aragon, Granada, Navarre and Portugal. Aragon actually had three capital cities, two of which, Valencia, and Zaragoza, were known for their active Muslim citizenry. Barcelona in Catalonia, was not so famous, although it is named after Hannibal's uncle Hamilcar Barca and his family, another Semitic influence that left this place name on the Peninsula. Navarre, south of the Pyrenees, was taken by Ferdinand of Aragon in 1512.
1610 and not 1492 should be our cut‑off date for Muslim power in Spain, even though that last century and a quarter saw Islam in clear decline, fighting a losing, rearguard action. We need rather to follow the fate of the remaining Spanish Muslims, not only in the defeated king­dom of Granada, but also in Castile, Aragon and Valencia, where talented and industrious Mudejar artisans were active.

Below is an excerpt from Forum Ancient Coin about these king and Queen
  
Ferdinand and Isabella
Ferdinand V, called The Catholic (1452-1516), King of Castile (1474-1504); as Ferdinand II he was also King of Sicily (1468-1516) and of Aragón (1479-1516); as Ferdinand III, King of Naples (1504-1516). He was the son of King John II of Aragón.

Isabella I (1451-1504), Queen of Castile, called la Católica ("the Catholic"). She was the daughter of John II of Castile and León by his second wife, Isabella of Portugal.

The union of the Spanish kingdoms of Aragón and Castile was effected in 1469 by Ferdinand's marriage to his cousin Isabella I, Queen of Castile. Ferdinand had hoped by this alliance to obtain the Castilian crown for himself, but his high-spirited and politically astute wife firmly retained sovereign authority in her own realm.

Ferdinand and Isabella took steps to curb the power of the nobles, organising the Santa Hermandad, or Holy Brotherhood, a kind of national military police. Insistence on religious conformity was one of their basic policies. In 1478 a bull issued by Pope Sixtus IV empowered the king and queen to appoint three inquisitors to deal with heretics and other offenders against the church; this marked the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition.

The year 1492 opened with the conquest of Granada, which marked the victorious conclusion of the long struggle against the Moors. In August Christopher Columbus, sponsored by Ferdinand and Isabella, set sail from the small Spanish seaport of Palos on his epoch-making voyage to America, which was the first step in the creation of the Spanish overseas colonial empire. In 1493, by the terms of a treaty between Spain and France, Ferdinand recovered from King Charles VIII of France the ancient province of Roussillon (now forming the French department of the Pyrénées-Orientales), which Ferdinand's father had mortgaged to King Louis XI of France.

Because his daughter Joanna the Mad became insane after the death of Isabella in 1504, Ferdinand assumed the regency of Castile in 1506. He joined the League of Cambrai against the republic of Venice in 1508, and conquered Oran and Tripoli on the North African coast in 1509. He annexed the kingdom of Navarre in 1512, thereby extending the borders of Spain from the Pyrenees to the Rock of Gibraltar. Ferdinand was in many ways a competent ruler. He was succeeded by his grandson Charles (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V). 

My other coin is in below link
Pirate Cob
 
Coin Spec :

Obverse : "I" monogram " REX ET REGINA CASTILE"
Reverse : "F" monogram " FERDINANDVS ET HGL ISABELLA"
Weight : 0.84gm
Diam : 18mm
Denom : Billon Blanc
Metal : AE
Year : 1474 - 1504 CE
Mint : Granada
Rarity :
Purchased Price : USD
Ref : 

Ancient Manuscript Review 189 : Antique Ottoman Era document / Letter ( 18-19th century)

 

 This is a document written in old Turkish. The document was originally folded and sealed. I couldn't figure out what type of document this is. It could be a legal document or a personal ones. It could be from 18-19th century based on similar dated documents that came with it.  It is written in Riqaah script in black.
I don't have much information of this kind of manuscript and its writing tradition. I need to do more research on this manuscript and will update this entry later. I welcome any feedback on this letter.

My other similar document is in below link
Ottoman Letter 01
Ottoman Letter 02
Ottoman Letter 03

Manuscript Specs

Item : Ottoman document
Content :  Unknown
Dim : 220mm x 160mm
Date : 18-19th century
Copyist : indechiperable
Origin :  Turkey
Calligraphy : Riqaah
Design :
Purchased Price :US

Ancient Artifact Review 73 : Antique Muslim Malay Gold Threaded Pillow Ends / Tekat / Tampok Bantal ( early 20th Century)

 This is a product of  Malay artwork called tekat. It is a gold & silver thread embroidery practiced by the Malay from Malaysia.  These beautiful pieces are sewn onto both ends of a bolster ( bantal peluk) as part of  the bridal decorations which is typical in Malay weddings. Traditionally, to have the entire bridal daise and chamber decoration done in tekat is almost a must. These days, one doesn't have to worry about creating a tekat arrangement for the wedding. In Malay wedding, its customary to use the service of "Mak Andam" or a wedding planner. They have almost complete bridal decorations arrangement and lend them out for a very reasonable price.
Tekat originally was a court art and gained popularity by the 15th Century. It was thought that this art originated from Ottoman Empire and brought into the royal court of the Malay Kingdom by the traders.
Compare with the Ottoman thread embroidery below :
Ottoman Embroidery Art

 In this sample, the gold/silver thread was stitched in a patterned way over a piece of of a velvet fabric. Motifs of foliage and floral were used as Islam prohibits using animal motifs. I believed these samples from early 20th Century CE.

Similar tekat can be seen below :
Tampok Bantal Tekat Gold
Tampok Bantak Tekat Silver
Tampok Bantak Tekat Triangle

As we can see from my other entries , some bolsters' ends are sewn with decorated metal plates. Below are the links to the plates :

Malay Plate 01
Malay Plate 02

Compare this plate with Peranakan plates in below link
Peranakan Tampok Bantal

Specification :
Description : Malay bolster Tekat
DIM : 6x3 inches
Material : Gold/Silver Thread on multicolored velvet fabric
Ref :  Islamic Civilization In The Malay World (pg 325)

Ancient Manuscript Review 188 : Antique Syriac Christianity Manuscript ( 16th Century CE)

 

This is a very rare Syriac manuscript acquired from Turkey. It is written in Syriac Serto script.
I could not figure out the content but most likely subject on Christianity Theology and Bible. This manuscript I believed written in Classical Syriac similar to the fragment in below link
Manuscript in Classical Syriac

Codicology

Title Page : Unknown

Content    :  Unknown

Date         : 16th Century

Copyist    : Anonymous

Patron      : Nil

Origin      : Diyerbakir, Turkey

Place acquired : Istanbul

Illuminations : Nil

Calligraphy : Syriac Serto

Number of lines :16 lines per page

Inks          : Main text in black with some headings in red

Punctuation: Diacritical marks in black

Frame       :  Nil

History of Manuscript : from a private library in Diyerbakir

Number of folios :  16 ff

Support of writing : yellowish laid paper

Gatherings : N/A

Catchwords :bottom left on recto page

Dimensions : 17.0 cm x 11.5 cm

Binding   : Loose fragment with loose black cover

Estimated Market Price :

Purchased Price : USD

Remarks :

Ancient Coin Review 105 : Bendahara Sewa Raja Wan Ahmad Quarter Tampang 1295 AH ( Sultanate Pahang)

This is a another rare tampang coin from Bendahara Sewa Raja Wan Ahmad . However in 1882 CE he was proclaimed as the first Sultan of Pahang claiming the title Sultan Wan Ahmad AL Muazzam Shah.He used to be Bendahara from 1863-1881AD.
This coin was struck in 1295 AH ( 1878 CE)
 

Pahang is one of the states in Malaysia. Historically it became part of Malacca Sultanate in 1470 CE till 1641 CE. It was later ruled by Johor Sultanate till 1853 CE then it became independent.

Below is the location of Pahang in relation to other states in Malaysia.

Similar Tampang can be found in below link

Pahang Tampang
Pahang Tampang
Pahang Tampang

Obv : Floral Design
Rev: Malik Al Adil tarikh kepada bulan Rejab sanat 1295
Weight : 13 gm
Dim : 28 x 28 x 8mm
Date : 1295 AH ( 1878 CE)
Rarity : RR
Denom : 1/4 tampang = 1/100 Dollar           
Material : Tin
Reference : SS20  pg 143 ( The Encyclopedia of the Coins)
Purchase Price : RM 

Ancient Artifact Review 72 : Antique Jade /Silver Afghan Persian Multicontainer ( 19th -20th Century)

 

This is an old Persian multicontainer from Afghanistan. I couldn't figure out the purpose of this container. The body is made of green jade and reinforced with silver frame and stand. Could this be  some sort of candle holder or traditional lamp?
Bought this pot from Abu Dhabi and estimated from 19th-20th Century.

Dim : 140mm in diamter and 160mm in height
Date : 19th-20th Century CE
Material : Greem jade and silver
Origin : Afghanistan