Silver Hilted Kaskara for comment

Andreas · 15th December 2014, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edster

Wisram,

Nice kaskara. I'll defer to Iain on the blade. Looks old. The grip has a space at the top to attach the missing Beja/Hadendawa tassle so its from Eastern Sudan or the Beja parts of Eritrea.

Is the cross guard chisel pointed? If so and looks like one piece construction its was probably made in mid-20th. Cent in Kassala where it one-piece unit was developed. If its welded together it could be earlier and made in Sennar (on the Nile) or Atbara or Port Sudan area (both Hadendawa territory).

Ed

Hello Ed,
Interesting information on the cross guards. I would like to point your attention to a report by a French civil servant, Frederic-Benoit Garnier, First Dragoman of the French Consulate in Egypt, published in 1871 in "Le Soudan: Ses rapport avec le commerce Europeen" (The Sudan: Its relation to European commerce):

Through Suakin, indigenous merchants and some foreign traders, mostly Greeks, import (In Kassala) from Egypt manufactured products… (Follows a list of goods)… blades and cross guards of German manufacture. These swords (seifs) have a distinctive form; they are long, straight and double edged, reminding one of medieval double edged swords.
(Translated from the French)
Regards,
Andreas

Iain · 15th December 2014, 11:51 AM

Thanks for posting that source Andreas. Very interesting. :-)

Wisram · 15th December 2014, 01:14 PM

Thank you again Iain. I read your comprehensive and interesting article and learned.
Thanks Andreas for your comment.
Ed, Since I havn't seen a 3D Kaskara before I am not sure where to look for the "chisel pointed" form, it does have hints on both angles of the guard but
I add two more photos for you to see, if that's OK.

Edster · 15th December 2014, 05:00 PM

Andreas: Thanks for the reference to German cross-guards. That's new to me. Wonder what they looked like. The 1871 date could help date some earlier swords that we now have to guess about.

Wisram: great photos of the cross-guard. I'd call it the chisel form favored from Sennar. Not that it was made there, but likely. Could be fairly old.

Picture of the Funj sultan with kaskara sword from 1821 at the link below. The scabbard has a profile similar to yours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sennar_...ennar_1821.jpg

Here's a possible scenario for the history of your sword. Blade imported into Abyssinia in mid-19 century and made into a sword of the local style. In March 1889 there was a big battle at Gallabat/Metemma between Mahdist forces (85k force) vs. Abyssinian Emperor Yohannes IV (130k force). Mahdist forces won and Yohannes killed. Along with Yohannes' head, your sword was taken as a war trophy. Sword was taken to Sennar, maybe 90 miles away from the battlefield and put into kaskara dress along with Sennar style cross guard. The silver grip is top quality, but the sword has been used over time.

In 1940/41 British and Italian forces clashed in the Gallatbat border area, and the reported (British soldier ?) got the sword in the Sennar area and brought it back to the UK.

Top shelf sword.

Ed

Wisram · 17th December 2014, 08:42 AM

Ed, this is a great scenario (I loved it and can't wait for the film), thank you very much and thank you all for sharing your knowledge and observations so generously.

15th December 2014, 01:14 PM	#3
Wisram Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 11	Thank you again Iain. I read your comprehensive and interesting article and learned. Thanks Andreas for your comment. Ed, Since I havn't seen a 3D Kaskara before I am not sure where to look for the "chisel pointed" form, it does have hints on both angles of the guard but I add two more photos for you to see, if that's OK. Attached Images

15th December 2014, 11:51 AM	#2
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,708	Thanks for posting that source Andreas. Very interesting. :-)

15th December 2014, 05:00 PM	#4
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 411	Andreas: Thanks for the reference to German cross-guards. That's new to me. Wonder what they looked like. The 1871 date could help date some earlier swords that we now have to guess about. Wisram: great photos of the cross-guard. I'd call it the chisel form favored from Sennar. Not that it was made there, but likely. Could be fairly old. Picture of the Funj sultan with kaskara sword from 1821 at the link below. The scabbard has a profile similar to yours. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sennar_...ennar_1821.jpg Here's a possible scenario for the history of your sword. Blade imported into Abyssinia in mid-19 century and made into a sword of the local style. In March 1889 there was a big battle at Gallabat/Metemma between Mahdist forces (85k force) vs. Abyssinian Emperor Yohannes IV (130k force). Mahdist forces won and Yohannes killed. Along with Yohannes' head, your sword was taken as a war trophy. Sword was taken to Sennar, maybe 90 miles away from the battlefield and put into kaskara dress along with Sennar style cross guard. The silver grip is top quality, but the sword has been used over time. In 1940/41 British and Italian forces clashed in the Gallatbat border area, and the reported (British soldier ?) got the sword in the Sennar area and brought it back to the UK. Top shelf sword. Ed

17th December 2014, 08:42 AM	#5
Wisram Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 11	Ed, this is a great scenario (I loved it and can't wait for the film), thank you very much and thank you all for sharing your knowledge and observations so generously.