Afghan or Ottoman?

Jim McDougall · 23rd November 2015, 10:48 PM

In my post #2 , I mentioned this brass disc feature with some type of design or letters within, and found on the distinct horned hilt sword with dramatic recurved blade known often as the 'Black Sea yataghan' which I had.
This was eventually classified as a Laz bichagi, but in earlier works (Triikman& Jacobsen, 1941) had been termed a Kurdish-Armenian yataghan (Seifert, 1962).
Research revealed these curious swords as being from Erzerum, Trebizond and other areas of the Transcaucusus, and found even in Georgia.

I hope I can find photos of the disc in the sword I mention, but I do recall it seemed unusual to see this kind of brass disc in the blade.

I think that since most of the areas mentioned in research on these swords over the past 15 years here have shown them mostly from regions in Turkey, or under Ottoman control. While I am not sure that this device is properly considered a tughra, it seems that they are known in the blades of these regions at least incidentally.

As Mahratt notes, this disc has no connection in my opinion with Afghan markings, but most likely with Transcaucasian origin, and may indeed be from an apparently dramatically re-profiled sword blade.
It is most interesting to see it matched to a clearly Afghan type choora hilt .

23rd November 2015, 10:48 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,458	In my post #2 , I mentioned this brass disc feature with some type of design or letters within, and found on the distinct horned hilt sword with dramatic recurved blade known often as the 'Black Sea yataghan' which I had. This was eventually classified as a Laz bichagi, but in earlier works (Triikman& Jacobsen, 1941) had been termed a Kurdish-Armenian yataghan (Seifert, 1962). Research revealed these curious swords as being from Erzerum, Trebizond and other areas of the Transcaucusus, and found even in Georgia. I hope I can find photos of the disc in the sword I mention, but I do recall it seemed unusual to see this kind of brass disc in the blade. I think that since most of the areas mentioned in research on these swords over the past 15 years here have shown them mostly from regions in Turkey, or under Ottoman control. While I am not sure that this device is properly considered a tughra, it seems that they are known in the blades of these regions at least incidentally. As Mahratt notes, this disc has no connection in my opinion with Afghan markings, but most likely with Transcaucasian origin, and may indeed be from an apparently dramatically re-profiled sword blade. It is most interesting to see it matched to a clearly Afghan type choora hilt .