Item number: M422

Year: AD 1962-present

Material: Gold (.585)

Size: 56.3 x 52.9 x 5.2 mm

Weight: 29.75 g

Provenance: Spink 2025

This is a Military Order of Duty established from AD 1962 onwards and awarded to members of the armed forces or police who have demonstrated distinguished conduct on the battlefield.

The obverse bears, at its centre, a composition of a white five-pointed star set above a gold five-pointed star, both superimposed upon a laurel wreath. At the centre of the white star is the inscription “الواجب” (al-Wājib), meaning “duty” or “obligation”. On the gold star, the upper inscription “وسام” (Wisām) signifies “order” or “decoration”, while the lower inscription “العسكري” (al-ʿAskari) denotes “military”. Both stars are outlined in gold, and each point of the gold star terminates in a small spherical bead.

The reverse consists of two layers. The first is the reverse of the laurel wreath, predominantly plain and undecorated. At the lower edge appear three triangularly arranged marks, above which is the stamp “14K”, presumably indicating the purity of the metal. To the left is a rounded lozenge enclosing the numeral “8”, flanked on either side by characters resembling “ی”. The mark on the right remains uncertain; these two marks are likely to represent the manufacturer, issuing authority, or a production series. The second layer is the gold star, bordered by a circular band inscribed with “أنشئ هذا الوسام بالقانون رقم 17 لسنة 1962”, meaning “This order was established by Law No. 17 of AD 1962.”

The Kuwaiti Military Order of Duty was instituted by Shaikh Abdullah III and is divided into four classes: Special Class, First Class, Second Class, and Third Class. It is bestowed upon any officer, non-commissioned officer, or enlisted member of the armed forces or police in recognition of outstanding performance in combat, or for acts revealing exceptional courage, heroism, and loyalty. It may also be awarded to individuals who have distinguished themselves during operational service with the Kuwaiti Armed Forces. The Special Class is reserved for members of the ruling family who hold military office; the First Class is awarded to commanders; the Second Class to junior officers; and the Third Class to NCOs and soldiers. All classes share the same green ribbon with two symmetrical yellow stripes, while differences appear in the devices affixed to the ribbon or ribbon bar: a rosette for the Special Class, a palm-leaf device for the First Class, a gold star for the Second Class, and a silver star for the Third Class.

The ruling House of Sabah, which governs the Emirate of Kuwait, traces its origins to the early eighteenth century when the Banī ʿUtub alliance migrated to the north-western shores of the Persian Gulf, establishing a port settlement and selecting Sabah I as their chief, thereby inaugurating a hereditary leadership. In the late nineteenth century, seeking to avoid Ottoman encroachment, Kuwait concluded a protection agreement with Britain in AD 1899, under which Britain assumed responsibility for foreign affairs and defence while Kuwait retained internal autonomy. Following the rapid expansion of oil production in the mid-twentieth century, Kuwait experienced unprecedented prosperity, prompting the modernisation of administrative structures, fiscal systems, and public infrastructure. It was in this context that Shaikh Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah (AD 1950–1965) ascended the throne and came to be regarded as the founder of modern Kuwait. He pursued national control over oil revenues, established modern ministries and a civil service, expanded public health, education, and housing, and in AD 1961 successfully terminated the British protection agreement, thereby attaining full sovereignty while confronting territorial claims advanced by Iraq. In AD 1962, Abdullah oversaw the drafting of the Constitution of Kuwait, which defined the Emir as head of state, vested executive authority in the Council of Ministers, granted legislative participation to the National Assembly, and affirmed judicial independence. The constitution was, at the time, widely praised as one of the most liberal and progressive in the Arab world. Following its promulgation, Abdullah undertook comprehensive reforms of the administrative, fiscal, judicial, and security sectors. After the constitution came into force, Kuwait held its first parliamentary elections in AD 1963, establishing a semi-democratic monarchical system characterised by parliamentary oversight and legislative participation. In AD 1990–1991 Kuwait was briefly occupied by Iraq before being restored as an independent state.

物件編號: M422

年代: 公元 1962 年至今

材質: 黃金 (585‰)

尺寸: 56.3 x 52.9 x 5.2 mm

重量: 29.75 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2025

這是一枚於公元1962年起設立的軍事義務勳章，授予在戰場上表現傑出的軍警或部隊。

勳章的正面中央為上面的白色五角星、下面的金色五角星與最下方的桂冠相疊。白色五角星中央「الواجب 」(al-Wājib)為「義務、職責」之意；金色五角星上方「وسام 」(Wisām)為「勳章」，下方「العسكري 」(al-ʿAskari)為「軍事的」。兩層五角星都有金色邊廓，金色五角星尖角末端有圓珠。

背面第一層為桂冠的背面，大部分光平無文，下緣有三角排列的三個符記，上方為「14K」，可能代表其成色；左側為圓角菱形中央的「8」，「8」的兩側似為「ی」；右側待考，兩者可能為該勳章之製造及發行單位或序列號。第二層為金色五角星，中間以環相隔，有銘文「أنشئ هذا الوسام بالقانون رقم 17 لسنة 1962」，意即「本勳章依據1962年第17號法令設立」。

科威特軍事義務勳章由謝赫·阿卜杜拉(Shaikh ‘Abdullah III)設立，共分四級：特、一、二、三級。該勳章為授予武裝部隊或警察部隊中任何軍官、士官或士兵的軍事勳章，以表彰他們在戰場上的傑出表現，或展現出非凡的勇氣、英雄主義和忠誠精神的行為。該獎章亦可授予在科威特武裝部隊作戰行動中表現突出的人員。特級勳章授予王室軍官，一級勳章授予指揮官，二級勳章授予初級軍官，三級勳章授予士官及士兵。各級綬帶均為綠底與對稱的二道黃色條紋，勳章本體亦基本一致，差別在於綬帶或勳表上的裝飾。特級勳章為玫瑰，一級勳章為棕櫚葉，二級勳章為金星，三級勳章為銀星。

科威特酋長國的統治者，薩巴赫家族，起源於十八世紀初，當時巴尼·烏特拜聯盟遷徙至波斯灣西北海岸，建立港口聚落並推舉薩巴赫一世為酋長，自此形成世襲統治。十九世紀末，為避免奧斯曼帝國干涉，科威特於公元1899年與英國締結保護協定，在保持內政自主的情況下由英國負責外交與防衛。二十世紀中期因石油開採而急速富裕，促使行政體制、財政制度與公共基礎建設的現代化。在此背景下即位的謝赫阿卜杜拉·薩利姆·薩巴赫(公元1950年至1965年)被視為現代科威特的奠基者。他推動石油收益國家化，建立各部會與文官政府，擴充醫療、教育與住宅等公共服務，並在公元1961年成功終止英國保護關係，使科威特成為完全主權國家，同時面對伊拉克提出的領土主張。阿卜杜拉於公元1962年主持制定《科威特憲法》，確立以埃米爾為元首、由內閣行政、國民議會參與立法、司法獨立的憲政架構，曾被譽為當時阿拉伯世界最具開放性與自由精神的憲法之一。憲法公布後，他完成行政制度、財政制度、司法制度與軍警體系的全面重組。憲法生效後，科威特於公元1963年舉行首次國會選舉，形成具有議會質詢與立法功能的半民主君主制。公元1990至1991年曾被伊拉克短暫佔領，後復國。