Comments on shamshir

[erlikhan]

hi. can you please comment on this shamshir? especially, the gold lion on the blade? Means from Iran? Or Turkish with Iran blade according to the decorations on the brass mountings? I saw it several times on very similar size and form blades. And, could the blade be damascus, what you guess? sorry, these pictures are the only source for the moment.

[Aqtai]

I don't know that much about shamshirs, but that hilt looks Ottoman. So it is either an Iranian blade remounted with a Turkish hilt, or Turkish.

[TVV]

The hilt and scabbard fittings are deffinitely Ottoman and to me they appear to be in a style, typical of the second half of the 19th century. One can find similar examples from the Crimean War and The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The blade however is more interesting and it could be older. I have seen captured Ottoman swords from the War of 1877-1878 with noce, older blades.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Bahadir,
This is a great example of Ottoman sabre that does appear of 19th century, and the mounts and scabbard reflect characteristics of the Ottoman sphere in possibly Egypt or Arabia. It seems the scabbard throat, in the locket that receives the langet, the shell type figure there resembles the 'agrab' fixture often seen on 18th c. Arabian scabbards. The ring carrying fixtures on the scabbard seem to be very much like others on Ottoman sabres of 19th century (Hales & Barrett 1984 catalog #27, sabre mounted very similarly to this one). I had seen ring carry mounts that are faceted like this on another Ottoman sabre with virtually straight blade (similar to latter 19th c, early 20th c. Arabian) that I had thought possibly from Egypt.

The blade seems to reflect the length, curvature and shape of European cavalry sabres of Napoleonic period, and the cross section of the blade seems hollow ground along with a radius to a somewhat 'hatchet' point . This brings me to the circular pictogram enclosing the stylized lion. This cartouche appears in variation on many Persian trade blades that appear to have been produced from late 18th thru 19th centuries, and is brilliantly discussed by Oliver Pinchot in his outstanding article, "The Persian Shamshir and the Signature of Assad Allah" ( "Arms Collecting" (Vol.40, #1, February, 2002, pp.3-11). This derives from the shamshir (=lions tail) which developed in Persia at the beginning of the 17th century, and the legendary smith, Assad Allah Isfahani, whose fame is linked to that of the shamshir itself.

It seems that much in the manner of the legendary Andrea Ferrara, this incomparable Islamic swordsmith's attributed works exceeded his supposed life and capacity by centuries. According to Pinchot's article, which goes into great detail explaining this phenomenon, the literal meaning of Assad Allah is 'Lion of God' and he suggests the pictogram representing this title may represent not only the smith but quite possibly even the extremely important Sh'ia Figure Imam Ali, who was known by this sobriquet.

It is further noted (p.7) that "...the enormous demand for Persian blades both in Persia and abroad resulted in great increases in production at such centers as Khorassan, Qazvin and Isfahan in the late 19th and early 19th centuries". It appears that the Persian smiths reverted to producing heavier type blades with fullers, grooves, false edges, and the signature of Assad Allah evolved into a simple pictogram, of which this seems to be an example.

It would seem that this blade may well be one of these Persian trade blades of probably early 19th century (probably c.1820's) and mounted within the Ottoman sphere, then quite possibly remounted later.

Very nice example!!! recalling Mamluk sabres during Napoleonic campaigns of early 19th century, but certainly later.

Best regards,
Jim