تاج tāj P s. m. 1. A crown, diadem, tiara. 2. A cap. 3. A crest, the comb of a bird. 4. Name of a suit in cards. The pack (گنجيفه ganjīfa) consists of eight suits (رنگ rang), each containing twelve circular cards, viz. a king or mīr, a wazīr, and spots from one to ten. In every suit the mīr is the highest card, and the wazīr is the second. The suits are divided into two classes: I. بيشبر Beshbar, in which, after the mīr and wazīr, the highest numbers from 10 to 1 are most powerful. These are 1. تاج tāj (a cap), 2. زرسفيد zar-i-sufaid (a silver coin or the Moon), 3. شمشير shamsher (a scimitar), 4. غلام g̠ẖulām (a slave or boy). II. کمبر Kambar, in which the lowest numbers from 1 to 10 are most powerful. These are 1. قماش ḳimāsh (re- presenting a loaf of bread), 2. برات barāt (an oblong inscribed with characters, representing a warrant or assignment), 3. چنگ chang (a harp), 4. زرسرخ zar-i-surḵẖ (gold coin or the Sun). The mīr of every suit is seated on a throne under a canopy, and the wazīr on horse- back; with these exceptions. Of zar-i-surḵẖ, the mīr represents the Sun mounted on a tiger, and the wazīr also rides a tiger: of g̠ẖulām, the mīr rides on an elephant, and the wazīr on a bullock: and of chang, the wazīr is mounted
