This study examines clothing inscribed with religious scripture and mystic symbols as a talisman in Early Modern Islamic culture. The objects include extant examples of talismanic clothing from Iran, Turkey, and India created between the late fifteenth century and mid-eighteenth centuries. The premise for scripture as talisman in Islam, the relationship between text and textile, and pre-Islamic relationships to cloth and spirituality in these regions are included in the discussion. Though recent scholarship accepts these textiles as protective devices worn on the battlefield, this study suggests several additional contexts for the use of these talismanic garments. In addition, Qur'an-inscribed garments that emerge as a phenomenon in the Early Modern period are examined in relation to the origin of talismanic clothing in the belief systems that preceded the Muslim era. Specifically addressing the traditions of Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Shamanistic Turkic religious practices, the relationship between cloth, thread, and sacred teachings is explored in relation to the later empires that emerged from these regions. Specific verses from the Qur'an are included as an analytic device for understanding the Islamic perception of textiles and garments on a literal and metaphorical level, as well as spiritual and political practices involving cloth and power.
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