![Mahmud in robe from the caliph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Mahmud_in_robe_from_the_caliph.jpg)
A robe of honour ( ar, خلعة, khilʿa, plural , or ar, تشريف, tashrīf, pl. or ) was a term designating rich garments given by medieval and early modern Islamic rulers to subjects as tokens of honour, often as part of a ceremony of appointment to a public post, or as a token of confirmation or acceptance of vassalage of a subordinate ruler. They were usually produced in government factories and decorated with the inscribed bands known as ''
ṭirāz''.
History
The endowment of garments as a mark of favor is an ancient
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
ern tradition, recorded in sources such as the
Old Testament and
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...
.
In the Islamic world,
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
himself set a precedent when he removed his cloak () and gave it to
Ka'b bin Zuhayr in recognition of a poem praising him. Indeed, the term "denotes the action of removing one's garment in order to give it to someone".
The practice of awarding robes of honour appears in the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
, where it became such a regular feature of government that ceremonies of bestowal occurred almost every day, and the members of the caliph's court became known as 'those who wear the ' (). The bestowal of garments became a fixed part of any investment into office, from that of a governor to the heir-apparent to the throne. As important court occasions, these events were often commemorated by poets and recorded by historians.
In
Fatimid Egypt, the practice spread to the wealthy upper middle classes, who began conferring robes of honor on friends and relatives, in emulation of the aristocracy. Under the
Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt
The Mamluk Sultanate ( ar, سلطنة المماليك, translit=Salṭanat al-Mamālīk), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz (western Arabia) from the mid-13th to early 16th ...
, the system was standardized into a system of classes reflecting the divisions of Mameluke society, each with its own ranks: the military (), the civilian bureaucracy (), and the religious scholars (). The distribution of the robes of honour was the responsibility of the Keeper of the Privy Purse (), who supervised the Great Treasury (), where the garments were stored.
Maqrizi provides a detailed description of the garments worn by the various classes and ranks; in addition, Mamluk practice included the bestowal of arms, or even a fully outfitted horse from the Sultan's own stables, as a . The practice remained very common until the early 20th century; in 19th-century India, the bestowal gift or (, , or ) might comprise from five up to 101 articles of clothing.
As the practice spread in the Islamic world, and robes began to be given for every conceivable occasion, they also acquired distinct names. Thus for example the ('robe of the
vizier
A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...
ate') would be given on the appointment to the vizierate, while the ('robe of dismissal') upon an—honourable—dismissal, the might be given to an arriving guest, while the would to a departing guest, etc.
Sums of money or other valuables were also given as part of the bestowal ceremony, or, in some cases, in lieu of the robe. In the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, such a sum was known as ('price of '); most commonly this referred to the
donative
The ''donativum'' (plural ''donativa'') was a gift of money by the Roman emperors to the soldiers of the Roman legions or to the Praetorian Guard. The English translation is '' donative''.
The purpose of the ''donativa'' varied. Some were expre ...
received by the
Janissaries on the accession of a new
sultan.
See also
*
Tiraz
''Tiraz'' ( ar, طراز, ṭirāz), ( fa, تراز ''tarāz/terāz'') are medieval Islamic embroideries, usually in the form of armbands sewn onto robes of honour ( khilat). They were bestowed upon high-ranking officials who showed loyalty to ...
*
Chelengk
A chelengk ( ota, چـلنك; tr, çelenk; ) was a military decoration of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish military award
Originally a ''çelenk'' was "a bird's feather which one attaches to the turban as a sign of bravery" but by the end of the 1 ...
*
Khalat
A khalat ( fa, خلعت / ALA-LC: ''xalat''), also known as khelat ( bn, খেলাত), is a loose, long-sleeved outer silk or cotton robe common in Central Asia and South Asia and worn both by men and women, although in differing styles.
...
References
Sources
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{{Abbasid Caliphate topics
Islamic art
Clothing
Award items
Government of the Abbasid Caliphate
Ottoman clothing
Government of the Mamluk Sultanate