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Old 31st July 2019, 04:00 PM   #50
fernando
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard G
... Another big one is the ZamZamma in Lahore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamzama...
Good catch, Richard;that's quite a big one indeed.
Yet you could browse on an even bigger thing, the Bijapur Malik-E-Maidan. Its specs are impressive; not so lengthy with 4,5 mts but, with a 55 tons weight, 1,5 mt diameter and a 700 millimeters bore.

Concerning guns with inscriptions, like the ZAMZAMMA, i can not go without showing the TIRO DE DIU, so called due to its use in the First Siege of Diu in 1538.This basilisk was cast in bronze in 1533 during the reign of Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat
It cast in one solid piece and has no ornaments whatsoever except for some laudatory Arabic inscriptions that can be roughly translated as follows:

From our Lord the Sultan of Sultans of all ages; life-giver of the tradition of the Prophet of the Merciful God; the one that fights for the exaltation of the precepts of the Koran; the destroyer of the arguments of the supporters of wickedness; the one that casts away the houses of worshipers of idols; the Victor of the day when the two armies will meet; heir to the kingdom of Solomon; the one who trusts in the God the Benefactor; the possessor of all the virtues – Bahadur-Shah.

After the defeat of the Muslim forces, the gun was sent to Lisbon to serve defense purposes. Later in 18th century it was sent to the Arsenal in Lisbon to be melted so that the metal could be used to cast a statue of king D. José I. However, a religious scholar noticed and translated the Arabic inscriptions on the gun and, once discovering the historical value of the piece, the gun was spared.
This non wheeled beast weighs 20 tons, measures 6,12 mts (5,90 mts core) with 91 cm width (incl. trunnions) and 24 cm caliber.

It is now on display on the Cannon yard at the Military Museum of Lisbon.


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