“Helmet of Jani Beg” khan from metropolitan museum of art collection

The article deals with the design and the system of decoration of Helmet № 2007.86 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection (New York, USA). The all-forged spherangular skull of the helmet measures 20.3 cm high (without the missing knob) with 22 cm diameter. The front part of the helmet features superciliary arch holes and a nasal cleat. Having analyzed the inscription on the brow of the helmet, American researchers concluded that the helmet could have belonged to Jambek ibn Ozbek, also known as Jalal al-Din Jani Beg ibn Ozbeg, ruler of the Blue Horde and Golden Horde of the Mongols from 1342 to 1357. However, there is reason to suppose that the inscription should read “Victorious Sultan Mahmud ibn Jani Beg Khan ”. In case it is true, the helmet might well have belonged to the son of the Kazakh Khanate founder, sultan Mahmud ibn Jani Beg, who ruled over the city of Suzak in the last third of the 15 century. The helmet design and decoration features favor the latter hypothesis. This issue could be clarified after a detailed analysis of the inscription damascened on the helmet.