"Kulah-khud" helmet from the collection of khan Zhangir

The article describes the richly decorated iron helmet from the funds of the Russian Museum of Ethnography (RME), Saint-Petersburg (collection No. 3806-1). According to the researches of S. V. Dmitriev, employee of RME, the helmet was a part of the collection of Zhangir (1823-1845), khan of the Bukey Horde also known as the Inner Horde. In 1919 it was presented to RME by F. N. Genghis Khan, the widow of his grandson. It was identified that the helmet was Persian. Purpose: To date and describe the helmet from the funds of RME (collection No. 3806-1). Results: The analysis of its design and decoration showed that the helmet No. 3806 belongs to a special category of military helmets known in Russian science as Indo-Persian helmets; the world history of weapons knows it under the name of «kulah-khud». The main feature of such helmets was a solid-forged hemispherical crown with a conical (or, rarely, hemispherical) top cover with faceted pike-looking spike. Movable nose cover having the form of an arrow was attached to the forehead part of the helmet, and its temporal parts had paired tubes for plume. Another specific part of kulah-khud was a hauberk Western Asian type aventail supplied with a segment protecting the upper part of a face. According to the graphic materials found, «kulah-khud» helmets appeared in Iran in the 16 th century, and later they became popular in Western, Central, and Southern Asia. They were used in some regions of the Muslim world till the second half of the 19 th century. Classic «kulah-khud» helmet gave birth to the variety of derivatives: Indian «kulah-khud», demon helmet, bird helmet, etc. Starting from the beginning of the 19 th century some of the «kulah-khud» helmets were made by Iranian and Indian gunsmiths as souvenirs for European collectors. The helmet stored in RME differs from the classical specimen by its high top cover having the form of a funnel and arch-like pattern that is relatively rare for such types of helmets. The pattern was done using the method of gold damascening. Its total height is 32.0 cm (including the top cover - 17.7 cm), and the diameter is 20.0 cm. Ringed aventail made of iron and copper rings is not authentic; it was added to the helmet later. Judging by the specifics of the design and decoration, the helmet was made by Iranian or Central Asian craftsmen of the 17 th century or the first half of the 19 th century. Conclusion: the fact that the helmet «kulah-khud» was a part of the collection of the Kazakh khan Zhangir is one more proof of the significant influence of the Iranian weapons to the weapons of the Kazakh nomadic aristocracy of the Modern Age. Before getting into the collection of Zhangir, the helmet could be used as a military or gala hat by the representatives of Iranian, Uzbek, or Kazakh elite.