This bowl, made of green jade, is one of the museum's most valuable exhibits. It was crafted in Samarkand and can rightfully be considered a masterpiece of medieval Eastern art.
The bowl, cataloged in the British Museum under the number №1959,1120.1, was created in Samarkand between 1420 and 1449. It has an oval shape and a capacity of 200-250 ml. According to ancient legends, jade vessels were believed to have the ability to detect poisonous substances.
This bowl was made from jade sourced near Khotan in Eastern Turkestan, in the Kunlun Mountains. It is known that Mirzo Ulugbek, as both a scientist and ruler, held this material in high regard: the stone above the mausoleum of Amir Timur is also made of jade.
How exactly the bowl came to be in the British Museum remains unclear. According to some sources, it was brought to Turkey by Mirzo Ulugbek’s disciple, Ali Qushchi. He arrived in Istanbul to continue his mentor’s scientific legacy and possibly took the bowl with him as a commemorative relic.
The rare bowl was first documented by British scholars Ralph Pinder-Wilson and William Watson. To date, it has been displayed at several major exhibitions around the world, including in China, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
This unique bowl once again confirms the high level of medieval Eastern art and the priceless legacy of our great ancestor, Mirzo Ulugbek.