The gun has the date of manufacture, names of the monarch and the technician along with verses in Persian moulded with floral patterns all over the barrel. The front inscription reads: "By the order of the Emperor, DuriDurran, Shah Wali Khan Wazir made the gun named Zamzama or the Taker of Strongholds." The longer inscription at the back eulogizes its bulk and invincibility: "A destroyer even of the strongholds of the heaven."
The rifle bears an engraved date, names of the ruler and craftsman, along with Persian verses featuring floral motifs on the entire barrel. The front inscription states: "Commissioned by Emperor DuriDurran, Shah Wali Khan Wazir, the Zamzama gun or Fortress-Taker." The rear inscription praises its grandeur and invulnerability: "A mighty force that can breach even heavenly strongholds."