The Zangid bridge of Ǧazīrat ibn ʿUmar (ʿAyn Dīwār/Cizre): a New Look at the carved panel of an armoured horseman

The remains of the bridge which spanned or was intended to span the Tigris at ʿAyn Dīwār in the north-eastern corner of Syria incorporates a series of carved panels of Zodiac figures. It is believed to have been built in the second half of the 12th century, and although both bridge and carvings were published about a century ago, its location in a tense area, very close to the borders of Iraq and Turkey, has meant that little further study has been conducted. This article looks at written evidence for the dating of the structure, as well as architectural and archaeological evidence. However, its primary focus is upon one of the carved panels, namely that illustrating an armoured horseman who holds a sword in his right hand and a severed head in his left. He is identified as the astrological figure al-Mirrīḫ and is of particular interest because he is fully armoured in contemporary Middle Eastern Islamic style.This article draws together various sources of evidence to interpret the carving of an armoured horseman and to use it to better understand similarly dated documentary and pictorial sources, as well as recently discovered items of 12th and 13th century arms and armour from Syria.