Kaskara, european (?) blade
 

Just bought this kaskara at a price i couldn't refuse. it was listed as a 'turkish' sword...thanks for any comments.

scabbard looks is in very good shape, as is the grip. should be with me in a few days when i'll add more info. interesting inscribed decorations on the blade appear to be a bit crude in european styles with some 'arabic' (ersatz?). one deep stamped mark in the fuller near the grip. is it a 'fly' variant?

Nice sword no doubt carried much, and likely used little although the heavy sharpening could indicate considerable use. Simple leather covered grip top suggests that a Hadendowa tassel once adorned it. Similar to those carried by the lads in the 1920-40 ethno-photographs in another thread.

I would say locally made blade due to the surface texture and what looks like a forged fuller. Also, the fuller appears irregular. The mark is a variation on the Fly. I have seen similar designs on blades made in Kassala. The inscribed designs on the blade would have been added by the owner once he took possession.

Date could be almost any time in mid-20th Century. A close up of the cross guard would help although it appears to be a multi-piece forging which would support the early part of mid-20th.

The scabbard is in good shape, but long term storage therein would make the blade rust as indicated by the black spots. Color (plastic?) tapes in decorative triangles also supports mid-20th.

Good addition to your collection.

Best,
Ed

leather and steel aren't compatible
 

The Edster is right about that scabbard. The tannic acid in compounds typically used to process raw hides into finished leather leaves traces in the material that cause unprotected iron or steel to stain or rust when left in contact over time. This is especially true with leather made in traditional societies in which the processes were not uniform or brought to a high standard. But you see this corrosion problem even on knives and swords from the industrial-era West as well. The general tendency is for blades to corrode worse when kept in all-leather sheaths, as opposed to metal or wood-lined scabbards.

Oiling the blade carries other risks, beginning with the tendency of leather to absorb it, leading to a darkening and softening of the material. Excessive use of oil causes the leather to eventuually rot and disintegrate.

The best remedy is to store your kaskara out of the scabbard. You may want to clean out any active rust from pitted areas (without refinishing the whole blade) and preserve it with a good wax. A common problem when storing and handling all-leather scabbards without blades in them is that they can become kinked since these sheaths have little sideways resilience now that they are a century or more old. Simple remedy is to shape a wooden lath to the same dimensions and shape of your blade, leaving it a few inches longer to serve as a handle for easy removal, and keep that in the scabbard so that it stays rigid and straight. Best to use a non-acidic deciduous wood like poplar or alder, which are relatively soft and easy to work, and won't react with the leather. (pine, cedar, and other woods from coniferous trees have a high acid content in their sap which makes them less desirable for the purpose).

What Ed said. :) Locally made blade. An attractive piece.

kaskara arrived today, it's VERY sharp for the 3/4 of the slightly springy blade from the point. last quarter nearest the guard is unsharpened. leather strip winding over the languet on the grip and for the last inch or so of the leather covered disk pommel. the blue yellow decorations do appear to be thin plastic strips woven thru slits in the leather. couple of small areas along the edges of light active red rust. the black areas are very thin & not pitted there are a couple small areas that are pitted but appear the black rust form, not red. the guard appears to have been made in two halves and the arms forge welded together to fit around the blade & grip wood with a lenticular opening. the 'fly' stamp on the blade fuller is repeated on the other side, but under the blade side languet. i've brass brushed the red oxide and ballistol'd the blade & guard. fits the scabbard tightly, but seems to be loosening a bit as i draw & return the sword.

blade is 90cm. point to guard 140cm LOA. it's 4.2 cm. wide at the guard, has a 4mm edge at the guard slightly thicker as it approaches the wide fuller. blade is distal tapered. (can't find my digital micrometer :() sword weight is 950 grams w/o the scabbard.

some photos of the guard & grip area:

More kaskaras is a good thing!!!
One thing about these is that they are still pretty much traditional accoutrements which are kept proudly by many of the men recalling their heritage.
This may be an older sword, from the period suggested by Ed, and probably Kassalawi, where production was carried on well into the 20th century.
The 'fly' mark, is one we often refer to as 'the enigma' as we still have not conclusively resolved which possible European marking it might represent.
It is known to appear on much earlier blades (Briggs, 1965) which date back to WWI period. According to references once described by Ed some time ago, he indicated the fly was indicative of a warriors prowess, though not certain the exact mark referred to...it would seem this one.

The scribed markings on the blade are quite modern, and probably added in a commemorative sense.
The moons represent the 'lohr' or prayer panels often seen on earlier in the century examples, many from Darfur (Reed, 1987).
The script may or may not be Arabic, out of my range.

The eagle is the emblem of the Democratic Republic of Sudan 1970-85, representing a secretary bird holding a Mahdist type shield, and alluding to the Arab Eagle of Saladin from the 1950s.

Despite the relatively modern inscriptions and that it is a 20th century sword, these North African swords clearly show that the sword still stands as an important icon of heritage in these countries. I recall once being told by a Fur tribesman I knew, that his father always had his sa'if (kaskara) on the wall, and took it down to hold or wear during important events or ceremony.

thanks, all, for the info. quite interesting. :) in spite of the bean counters in government, the military of most nations still place importance on the sword as a symbol of authority and 'presence' that a firearm just doesn't have, even if it's combat use is small.

Very well said!!!

Jim, The script on the blade is Arabic but is upside down... I think it says Sudan etc ...somewhat like the Arabic wording on the Eagle insignia...
I am interested to hear what members reckon on the fly mark which is similar to a local letter or figure 8 shape.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about East Africa is that it is joined by an invisible thread to West Africa through its jewellery designs and Talisman as well as its famous trade routes and not least by the tribes; Tuareg and others in that inhospitable landscape... The alphabets are quite similar and the linkages to Roman and Arabic go back to 300 BC. In its system there is Eastern Arabic and Perso-Arabic numerals, and possibly Western digits and Indian Devanagari numbers as well; Arabic letters; Tifinagh and Libyco-Berber characters; and the Islamic Seven Seals (the
ism al-aʿẓ am or Greatest Name).

No wonder we have blind alley situations caused by the trail running to nought and frustration whilst dealing with what was in fact a mythical sort of code...sometimes Talismanic sometimes not...mixed and twisted and occasionally common across Tuareg and Ethiopian frontiers...thousands of miles across.

It occurred to me that since so little was apparent/known about swords of those regions and because of the nomadic way many tribes operate ...and have been forced to relocate ... that another system must be used in combination with sword smithery... Indeed it appears that the word for smith in Hausa was also used for another group of Artesans... Jewellery makers...!!
Thus I encourage a long look by members at;

http://www.academia.edu/7634962/The_...nd_West_Africa

I have to admit that I have read it 3 or 4 times and still find it amazing. It lifts the veil to a degree on the mystery surrounding Tuareg, Hausa and Ethiopian form and seems to allude to the almost magical art of sword making/inscribing/stamping. At times you may find yourself stopping as the technique rings a distant bell and you wonder ''am I reading about Jewellery
or Swords'' ?

Beautifully stated Ibrahiim!
You make a very good point, that jewellery and the decorative motif on arms, particularly in Africa, are very much connected. There is a magnificent book on African jewellery by Angela Fisher titled "Africa Adorned". The amazing photos of the various forms and symbols used in all manner of these adornments reveal remarkable similarities to motifs often used on weapons.
As you note, the complexities of tribal interaction and these vast trade networks are undoubtedly the conduit for most of the diffusion of so many influences between cultural spheres. That is one of the joys of ethnographic arms study, investigating how these have come together via the material culture and work of these artisans.

hi y'all;

better pics of the script cartouches, which are different on either side. thanks for your comments.

Two Holy Quran sayings or verses ... (Roughly/approximate translation.)
Top. The one who comes to argue and shout with you...Stay calm ...God will be with you...
Bottom. God is Great. Thanks be to God..


Being of the Holy Quran this form of blade mark is Talismanic.

The toe of the scabbard( and design motifs on the scabbard face and back are almost identical to another on the front page ... at

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=435

and below from http://www.vikingsword.com/lew/archive.html a superb collection of the late Lew Waldman.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi

many thanks, ibrahim. good info.

I wonder did you see the essay at http://iainnorman.com/ :shrug:

i have, now. thanks. was very interesting.