Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)
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Like armored warriors, horses were usually protected by defenses of steel plate, leather, or reinforced textile. Fluted and engraved shaffrons like this were used throughout the Middle East, notably in Iran, Ottoman Turkey, and the Mamluk Empire in Egypt and Syria. This example is inscribed on the forehead “Help from Allah and a speedy victory,” a talismanic Qur'anic phrase (61:13) frequently found on armor.
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