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21st November 2011, 07:32 AM | #1 |
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Unusual Balkan "Yataghan" for Comments
This item was reportedly discovered in an old house in North-Eastern Bulgaria. I have never seen anything quite like it. To me it appears to be a Persian export wootz blade, hilted in the Western Balkans. What is interesting is that the blade appears to have been made this way originally, and it is also short - the length of the entire sword is 80cm, which is about the normal size for a yataghan. I am calling it a yataghan for lack of a better term.
Has anyone seen another example and what is your opinion on the origin of this one? Thank you, Teodor |
21st November 2011, 08:47 AM | #2 |
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Interesting sword. would not call it Yataghan though. the blade is Persian indeed. Could be made as a child sword, then later rehilted. the hilt and the way it's mounted resembles shaska. Does hilt split in the end?
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21st November 2011, 10:34 AM | #3 |
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I wonder if this, with the animal faces on the hilt, that it may have been fashioned as a hunting sword using a recycled blade? I would personally want a guard to stop my hand slipping forward though.
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22nd November 2011, 07:14 AM | #4 |
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Thank you gentlemen,
Some great observations. The pommel forks per the attached photo. The way it forks to me is much more reminiscent of yataghans, rather than a shashka though. Also, the niello decoration is found on Greek items, such as #408 from Elgood's book (which also shows that it was used until the early 20th century, the Balkan Wars and WW1). I also found a nicer yataghan with niello decorated hilt and scabbard from a Bulgarian book on weapons, currently kept in Sofia or Varna (the picture captions contradict themselves). Perhaps the blade was indeed made for a child, but not only is it shorter than usual, but also straight with a slight downward turn, so it was not meant to ever be a sabre by whoever made it. The animals depicted on the hilt are a horse and what I interpret as a lion (it sort of looks like a rat, but lion seems more plausible). I could only find one somewhat similar hilt in the Askeri Museum book about yataghans: the shape is similar and there is a border on the outer line just like the item in question and the other niello decorated yataghan. We are in agreement about the blade - Persian and made for export. As far as the hilt, I am leaning toward Ioannina or somewhere else in Epirus. But I would love to read as many opinions as possible. Thank you, Teodor |
4th July 2012, 10:08 PM | #5 |
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My friend cleaned the blade up and revealed the attached inscription at the ricasso. I feel this warrants resurrecting the thread. Is the inscription legible, and can you please help translate?
Thank you, Teodor |
6th July 2012, 12:57 AM | #6 | |
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Quote:
nice initiative to have cleaned the blade , because on ricasso we might read the name of the blacksmith ALLAH MOHAMED AMAL ZARIF (?) either MADE BY ZARIF (reading under reserve) ALI HASSAN several comments - part of the mentions are religious, used in the sense of talismanic; Allah, Mohamed and might be Ali, Hassan, the serial seems logic; God, then his Prophet, the Prophet's son, the Prophet's grandson, those last two very revered by the Shiite - the owner for this yatagan was Muslim, absolutly, but may be Shiite obedience - the blacksmith is might be from Armenian community, if what we read as name is correct, that's it for today all the best à + Dom |
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