Processional standard from Iran
- Audio guide stop: 634
- Gallery: Room 43
- Culture: Safavid dynasty
- Made in: Iran
- Date: 17thC(late)
- Object type: alam, standard
- Materials: brass; gold
- Museum number: 1888,0901.17
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a processional standard from the Safavid dynasty in 17th-century Iran. Made of gilded brass, it features openwork decoration and elegant Arabic inscriptions. The shaft is covered in finely carved Islamic calligraphy and stylized designs. This object was one of a pair and was used in Shi'a religious processions.
Along the shaft, you’ll see inscriptions listing the "Fourteen Immaculate Ones"—the Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, and the Twelve Imams—important figures in Twelver Shiism. These names are written in Nasta'liq and Thuluth scripts, traditional and beautiful styles of Arabic calligraphy. At the top, the phrase "God is mighty" is clearly marked.
The craftsmanship is remarkable. The brass is both finely detailed and richly gilded, showing skillful metalwork. You're looking at a work that would have played a visible, meaningful role in religious ceremonies, blending art and devotion.
See it in person
Processional standard from Iran is on display in Room 43 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 634, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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