BURDA
Chest and cover of the Burda
in the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul
Burda: A piece of woollen cloth used since ancient
times, which was worn as a cloak by day and used as a blanket by night. That
of the Prophet has become famous. As a reward for Ka´b b. Zuhayr´s poem, he
made him a present of the burda he was wearing. It was bought from the
son of the poet by Mu´awiya (660-680 AD) and was preserved in the treasury of
the ´Abassid Caliphs until the occupation of Bagdad by the Mongols. Hülegü
caused it to be burned but it was afterwards claimed that the real burda
of the Prophet was saved and is still preserved in Constantinople. [1] The supposed burda of the Prophet is
preserved in a chest in the Topkapi in Istanbul (illustration). The color of the burda is supposed to
have been green, which is
the color of the supreme commander in the Byzantine (and probably also in Sassanid)
color system. The green of the burda
has become the color of the descendants of Mohammed. |
Remains of the burda
in Topkapi Museum |
© Hubert de Vries 2009-07-24
Updated 2010-11-08