North African? Saber of European form

[Shakethetrees]

I got this from a local antique shop. Walked by it for years, but because it didn't fit comfortably into what I was then collecting (American/Southern US weapons), so I ignored it for ten years, maybe more.

The price sat (and the dust built up) over the years.

Finally, I had to grab it, as nothing in my field was turning up.

By then this dealer had become a good friend, and visits to his shop over a 22 year period became more social than business.

I thought for a long time it was possibly made in the new World, by an African trained blacksmith, due to the asymmetrical blade. It has a flat, slab side and a chamfer down to the edge, and opposite is just a plain slab side. All surface finishing is roughly filed or stone finished and not finely polished. The guard is hand wrought and chiseled to a generally European form. The grip appears to be tubular iron with thin dark brown skin wrapped in one piece.

The scabbard has no metal mounts and appears to never have had any. The leather is pretty high quality, unlike that used on European or American scabbards. The two flaps sewn to the scabbard are reminiscent of those used on a British Fairbairn-Sykes WWII commando knife scabbard.

After all sorts of adjustments to my understanding of this piece, I've evolved. I think it's of North African origin. The form and finish of the blade, the construction, style, and type of leather cinch this attribution in my mind.

However the hilt is a mystery.

There are a lot of experts here familiar with takouba of the Tuareg, and other weapons from various Sahel tribes that are out of my experience.

Any light that could be shed on this enigma would be most helpful.