Ethnographic Arms & Armour - Sword and dagger of the amir Abdel Kader

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Originally Posted by Kubur

Just for the pleasure:

the sword and the dagger of Abdel Kader.

They are not Algerian weapons, but probably Greek from Epirus / Ioannina.
Of course they are Ottomans!!!
;)

Kuber, any idea what museum they are in?

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The Emir was France's former adversary in Algeria, an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-19th century. An Islamic scholar and Sufi who unexpectedly found himself leading a military campaign, he built up a collection of Algerian tribesmen that for many years successfully held out against one of the most advanced armies in Europe.

His consistent regard for what would now be called human rights, especially as regards his Christian opponents, drew widespread admiration, and a crucial intervention to save the Christian community of Damascus from a massacre in 1860 brought honours and awards from around the world.

Within Algeria, his efforts to unite the country against foreign invaders saw him hailed as the "modern Jugurtha" and his ability to combine religious and political authority has led to his being acclaimed as the "Saint among the Princes, the Prince among the Saints".

A well-known figure in both the Arab world and Europe, he had been imprisoned in France after surrendering but was eventually pardoned and released by Napoleon III while he was President of France. He was on his honour never again to act against French interests, and ended up living in Damascus with a large household, on a substantial French pension of 100,000 francs per annum.