Saif With Weird Blade for Comments
 

Hey guys,

I found this at an antique shop here. Took a permission from its owner to share it for discussion and to perhaps understand what kind of blade it have. The blade have some strange script which I cant identify, it can be made up but the blade is unlike the blades made in either the king Faisal era or current production. Fittings are king Faisal era type which is generally of better quality then the current ones. The blade is shiney but it seems to be out of a polish, its heavy aswell, but not too heavy like the modern stuff and is forged and with some flexibility.

The photos are not great quality as I took them with my iphone but I hope the script shows..

Inscription is Amharic (i.e. from Ethiopia). Acc. to my colleague, who can read Amharic a little, there is written the name Wolde Sellasie, but with mistake
Regards,

Martin

Thanks Martin, the blade looks of European manufacture? Its really long, strong and has some weight to it. Blade appears to be chromed.

Yes, I would also say European trade blade. They were often nickel plated and polished. (But why not chromed during its recent life)

I would imagine then with this name (wikipedia article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolde_Selassie) this would be applied in a talesmanic fashion rather than being any indication of the owner? The misspelling of the name would seem to fit with that? :o

Yep I doubt it belonged to Wolde Selassie, you'd expect a prince to have a better decorated blade :p this one isnt that bad though the blade is pretty nice, its everything good you expect from a wellmade European blade.

This blade does appear to be of the general configuration of a form which was produced by British firms, Wilkinson in particular, and it seems certain Solingen makers, in the early 20th into 1930s for export to Ethiopia. It seems many of these blades ended up in Yemen, probably through Aden and were hilted in San'a. Many of these were in a domed pommel broadsword type form, while this is of course the sabre type hilt favored in Arabia.
The plated blade is indeed interesting but seems to be a popular feature in Arabian swords in more modern times as I have seen swords attributed to Hadhramaut with clearly old blades redone in this manner.

The Amharic inscription is likely a patriotic testament to the memory of this early Abyssinian ruler who died in 1816, possibly may have key meaning to a faction or tribal group during the turbulent times in these regions in these years up to WWII. It was once suggested to me that many of these blades ended up in Yemen via transport of the rhino hilts on shotels into Arabia, the blades then hilted otherwise while the horn used for khanjhars.

I think Wolde Selassie or Woldeselassie has also been a common Amharic name

that would make sense.