This modern silver pendant with a tughra is made in Ottoman style. A tughra is the official monogram of Ottoman sultans (reg 1281-1924) and consists of their father’s name, their titles and ends with the verb ‘May his reign endure forever’ (‘al-muzaffar da’im). This means that each Ottoman sultan had their own unique tughra, while having a similar style and shape. The tughra reflected the Ottoman state authority and was used on all official documents, seals, buildings and coins, hence it can be compared to the arms of European rulers.<BR> <BR> Tughras had a typical design that consisted of three loops to the left; a plume of three ligatures at the top; two horizontal ligatures on the right; and the name of the sultan. The complexity of tughra ensured that it was difficult to read and copied and only court artists were allowed to draw the tughra.<BR> <BR> Already in the 18th century the tradition and symbolism of the tughra was shifting as it was then also used for religious phrases as the bismillah (in the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Contemporary forms of tughras are used in private houses, cars, shops and businesses and reflect not only religious sentiments but also display signs of nostalgia and a continuation of symbols connected to Ottoman history. The tughra on this silver pendant is probably a meaningless imitation of Arabic script, but reflects this strong symbolism in terms of its aesthetics and/or its reference to the Ottoman Empire. <BR> <BR> The bag in which this silver pendant was stored in can be find under number 7192-1b.<BR>