Room 31 | Islamic Middle East gallery
Explore artefacts made over a period of more than 1000 years in the heart of the Islamic world.
Galleries : 258 objects
Kay Kavus on his flying machine
- loan
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Description
Probably the most capricious and vain ruler of the entire epic of the Shahnama, Kay Kavus is here depicted engaged in another of his futile efforts. Attracted by the prospect of reaching the heavens and discovering its secrets, he decided to build a flying machine led by powerful eagles. However, the birds got tired after a while, causing the machine to fall to the ground. The king was able to escape death but not humiliation.
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Details
- Series
- Book of Kings
- Associated place
- Date
- 1552 (AH 959)
- Artist/maker
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Abu’l-Qasim Firdawsi (AD 935 - 1020) (author)
- Material and technique
- ink, colour, and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- closed 35.7 x 22.4 x 7.8 cm (height x width x depth)
- Material index
- Technique index
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Lent by the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford.
- Accession no.
- LI2067.3
Location
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- returned to owner
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Notice
Objects may have since been removed or replaced from a gallery. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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