[Jim McDougall]

Thank you Tim, it does seem these examples with takouba style hilt but with aljuinar (=curved_ blades occur mostly to the West African regions. It is really difficult to get good insights into these kinds of anomalies since Iain Norman has been away from posting here.

I had always thought that perhaps the curved blades were from European sources, particularly French of course due to their colonial presence in the Sahara in these areas. However I recall talking with a guy who had spent much time there (he was the source of this from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) who had examples with MOLE blades, from England of course.

This marking seems native, and with the spheres at the terminals of the arc, it seems to be of the style seen in the example of last image (from Iains group) with the same style mark as a cross with spheres at ends of arms.

The cross potent type symbol is well known in these contexts as having meanings re: the four cardinal directions, and symbolically meaning, universal in a sense.

Possibly the arc might be interpretation of the 'Genoan' sickle marks (?) but with only one arc, and the spheres referencing the dots usually at the ends of those (?).

A bit of a conundrum, but hoping someone else has encountered this type mark, and ideas on the meaning.

It does seem the ball pommel is a feature in those areas, as on the Manding saber from Mali.