Delegated Protection of Islamic Cities in Medieval ondergraphs: Form and Function of Urban Talismans

Urban dwellers, as Islamic literati suggest, delegate the task of protecting themselves to others. In this sense, Delegated Protection is to protect the city and its dwellers by any other agents rather than the protected people themselves. Among the various ways of such delegated protection, the less-known category of Urban Talismans was believed to be responsible for protecting the city from animal and pests, natural disasters and climate-related issued (apotropaic talismans), protecting public resources, human management in means of empathy among people and prevention of certain crimes, and the preservation of public buildings. These Talismans, functioning in an urban scope, which therefore can be called “Urban Talismans”, were made in many forms, though usually in stone: two- and three-dimensional sculptures (sometimes carved on the floor or wall and sometimes built as freestanding monuments); minarets; and square buildings with certain properties.