Four Seals in ’Phags-pa and Arabic Scripts on Amīr Čoban’s Decree of 726 AH/1326 CE

Abstract

The decree of Amīr Čoban dated 726 AH/1326 CE (National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, s.250) has four kinds of imprints, which consist of two āl-tamġā seals (vermilion seals) and two black seals. Among them, one is a square-shaped vermilion seal in Arabic script. Another is a square-shaped vermilion seal in ’Phags-pa and Arabic scripts. This document is a typical decree issued by a high-ranking great amīr because the āl-tamġā and qarā-tamġā seals were stamped on the prede ned places. However, it is the singular case in which a document is stamped with two kinds of āl-tamġā seal. Three of the four seals found on this decree were undoubtedly Amīr Čoban’s, and must have yielded the strongest authority to it.