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Feast your eyes on these jeweled arms and armor. They offer a tantalizing glimpse of the splendor of the Mughal empire. The Mughal emperors ruled the northern part of India from the 1500s until the 1800s. Their elite commanders took special pride in their magnificent weapons and uniforms.

The long piece of armor at the front is an arm guard. The soldier put his hand in the fabric mitten at the end. The steel sleeve is covered with dense patterns in gold. Look closely at the tiny flowers, and the larger curving lines. These are the lines of Arabic calligraphy, or decorative writing. They’re words from the holy book of Islam, called the Qur’an. In the Islamic world many pieces of armor and weapons had inscriptions from the Qur’an on them. The soldier believed that these holy words would protect them against harm in battle.

The round shield behind the arm guard has a steel surface, decorated with gold. Compare this Mughal shield with another decorated shield above it. That one’s made of leather. Hardened leather warded off blows in battle about as well as steel. This leather shield is decorated with gold, silver, and lacquer. Panthers race around the center. And look around the edges of the shield for gigantic flowers and more animals fighting.