Cuirass (Char-aina) 17th-early 18th century Persian, Safavid In terms of construction, most surviving armors from the Islamic world consist of mail shirts set with iron or steel plates covering the central areas of the front, back, and sides of the torso. In some cases these plates are circular and have been called "armors with pectoral disks" (see acc no. 36.25.345); in other instances the plated area is composed from smaller rectangular plates (see acc. no. 04.3.456b); while in yet other examples the body armor is of four large, usually rectangular plates secured by leather straps and generally worn over a shirt of mail. This latter subgroup is called in Persian char-a'ina, or four mirrors. In a rare variation, the Museum's armor has breast- and backplates that are octagonal with circular centers. Fluted clockwise, the plates, like many Ottoman, Iranian, and Russian examples, give our armor the character of a solar disk. On the other hand, the sides of this armor are rectangular with