The Ashmolean

Iraq: Navel of the World

Palace Life [9]

Badr al-Din Lu'lu' al-Malik al-Rahim, whose title means 'the compassionate king', ruled the north of Iraq from Mosul in the early 13th century at the time of the Mongol conquests. This contemporary portrait shows him seated cross-legged on a throne, holding a bow and arrow - a symbol of kingship that stretches back for millennia.
[Millet Kütüphanesi, Istanbul]

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