al-Samsama, 'Amr's sword
الصمصامة سيف عمرو بن معد يكرب
'Amr ibn Ma'di Yakrib's famed blade — al-Hadi's poetic prize, granted to Ibn Yamin then bought back for fifty thousand 1.
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Overview
The famous sword of Amr ibn Ma'dikarib al-Zubaydi. Al-Mahdi gave it to Musa al-Hadi. 2
The account
After al-Hadi became caliph, he called for the sword and placed it before him with a basket of dinars, and allowed the poets to compose verses about it. Ibn Yamin al-Basri opened, with the line: "Amr has won the Sumsama of al-Zubaydi." 2
Al-Hadi gave it to him, and he distributed the basket among the poets. Then al-Hadi bought it back from him for fifty thousand. 2
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 323-324
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.323-324
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Samsama, 'Amr's sword”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/object/samsama/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.