Thankyou for the replies so far gentlemen on this fascinating subject. We aquired this sword in as part of a group buy, so any comments made are taken happily and in a constructive manner. We're still rather interested in opinions regarding the hilt decoration, as a fair degree of work has been put into its construction-the bone inset disks are all hand made and finished and the ears of the handle demonstrate a skilled hand. Was this then somebodies attempt to copy the much more ornate 'true' yataghans or is simply a local interpration of such incorporating local style and design? The blade, when held for closer inspection, appears to us no worse than those found on some Indian munition grade tulwars- crude but effective. As for the sword being ill fitting, that was at first our thought, but having played around with it a wee bit, we've come to the conclusion that the parts may have once fitted snuggly and the blade when mounted the correct way round would have made this an effective weapon. These is just what we see close up. Whatever it be, a genuine old fighter or a still vintage pretender, we are glad that its seen the light of day and raised a few eyebrows!
thanks again,
Here are some pics showing some more detail of the blade.
Andy and Karina.