This axe probably belonged to a Sufi, also known as darwish in Persian (from which we get the English term ‘dervish’). The darwish undertook voluntary poverty and ascetism, often renouncing worldly possessions in an effort to attain spiritual closeness with God. The usual accoutrements of the darwish consisted of simple woollen clothes, kashkul or begging bowls, prayer beads, water and food containers, musical instruments and an axe. The axe was not used as a weapon, but rather a tool of the darwish and was often adorned with religious phrases.
