Another request for translation...

SchildaBrit · 5th April 2021, 02:26 PM

Kwiatek, I was impressed by your reading of General Cunningham. I can struggle through printed Arabic lettering, but handwriting floors me.

It took me a loooong time to work out that you were (of course!) correct.

As a "reward" for your skill, perhaps you can work this one out?

It is (probably a name) engraved on the barrel of my jezail rifle. All I can guess is m ? gh ? ya. Maybe m-r-gh-l-ya.
Which isn't much help, even if it is correct.

Many thanks to anyone who can provide a solution!
Patrick

kwiatek · 7th April 2021, 11:18 AM

It might be 'Mir 'Ali', though it is written very strangely, as you point out

SchildaBrit · 8th April 2021, 12:57 PM

Thank you Kwiatek for a valuable suggestion - it had not occurred to me that it might be two words.

As to Mir Ali: There seem to be 2 possibilities.
1) A place name - there is actually a village named Mir Ali in Waziristan.
However, this rifle is a personal weapon, so the name would be naturally applied, not the name of a village.

2) A personal name. Mir Ali exists as a Farsi/Dari name. This seems to me far more likely. The name is not cleanly engraved, but has been applied with a chisel point or gouge, hence the blobby nature of the "mim". And for someone hacking his name into the barrel in the backwoods of Afghanistan (or Iran) one cannot expect printed letter quality.

More to come on the barrel in the original thread!

Battara · 9th April 2021, 03:18 AM

Please post a picture of the entire piece.

5th April 2021, 02:26 PM	#1
SchildaBrit Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 33	Another request for translation... Kwiatek, I was impressed by your reading of General Cunningham. I can struggle through printed Arabic lettering, but handwriting floors me. It took me a loooong time to work out that you were (of course!) correct. As a "reward" for your skill, perhaps you can work this one out? It is (probably a name) engraved on the barrel of my jezail rifle. All I can guess is m ? gh ? ya. Maybe m-r-gh-l-ya. Which isn't much help, even if it is correct. Many thanks to anyone who can provide a solution! Patrick Attached Images

8th April 2021, 12:57 PM	#3
SchildaBrit Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 33	Mir Ali ? Thank you Kwiatek for a valuable suggestion - it had not occurred to me that it might be two words. As to Mir Ali: There seem to be 2 possibilities. 1) A place name - there is actually a village named Mir Ali in Waziristan. However, this rifle is a personal weapon, so the name would be naturally applied, not the name of a village. 2) A personal name. Mir Ali exists as a Farsi/Dari name. This seems to me far more likely. The name is not cleanly engraved, but has been applied with a chisel point or gouge, hence the blobby nature of the "mim". And for someone hacking his name into the barrel in the backwoods of Afghanistan (or Iran) one cannot expect printed letter quality. More to come on the barrel in the original thread!

7th April 2021, 11:18 AM	#2
kwiatek Member Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 153	It might be 'Mir 'Ali', though it is written very strangely, as you point out

9th April 2021, 03:18 AM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,226	Please post a picture of the entire piece.