Personal Armour of Aurangzeb

This waist-coat armour of Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707) is made of fine Damascus steel. Two moulded plates, for the front and the back, are shaped to follow the contours of the emperor’s body. They are hinged together to provide protection for the entire torso.

Three lines of text are engraved on the front of the armour and inlaid in gold. The first two lines are in Arabic, in Naskh script and are a talismanic formula.