Short-bladed Indo-Afghani sabers

ariel · 20th May 2020, 12:18 AM

The majority of sabers from that area were used by mounted warriors.
Their blade length was calculated to be: a). sufficient to cover the entire body against a blow, be it vertical, horizontal or diagonal; b). sufficient for the mounted warrior to reach an enemy laying on the ground.
Usually, to achieve both goals the blade of a cavalry sword was ~30-33 " long.

Here are Indo-Afghani swords that pose a question.
The upper two are standard Indian tulwars. Blades 30-31". They are given just to provide a reference point.

The " swords of interest" (lower 3) all have blades 25-26"
Two of them are typical Afghani, one ( the upper one) is uncertain to me , with a Damascus blade, and I shall be grateful for a more precise attribution.
One Afghani and the " uncertain one" have blades wide enough to be defined as Teghas.
Dating of all is welcome.

My big question: what were they used for?

Unless their owners were riding donkeys, they are not long enough to reach the ground without the rider bending over.
Were they infantry weapons?
European grenadiers were often equipped with shorter and massive swords. This is a rather feeble argument, but it may suggest some parallelism.

Sorry, the order of pics is reversed:-(

20th May 2020, 12:18 AM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Short-bladed Indo-Afghani sabers The majority of sabers from that area were used by mounted warriors. Their blade length was calculated to be: a). sufficient to cover the entire body against a blow, be it vertical, horizontal or diagonal; b). sufficient for the mounted warrior to reach an enemy laying on the ground. Usually, to achieve both goals the blade of a cavalry sword was ~30-33 " long. Here are Indo-Afghani swords that pose a question. The upper two are standard Indian tulwars. Blades 30-31". They are given just to provide a reference point. The " swords of interest" (lower 3) all have blades 25-26" Two of them are typical Afghani, one ( the upper one) is uncertain to me , with a Damascus blade, and I shall be grateful for a more precise attribution. One Afghani and the " uncertain one" have blades wide enough to be defined as Teghas. Dating of all is welcome. My big question: what were they used for? Unless their owners were riding donkeys, they are not long enough to reach the ground without the rider bending over. Were they infantry weapons? European grenadiers were often equipped with shorter and massive swords. This is a rather feeble argument, but it may suggest some parallelism. Sorry, the order of pics is reversed:-( Attached Images