Unusual Takouba or Something Else?

[Panhead572]

I worked in Niger in the 1980’s and became interested in Tuareg artifacts, especially their knives and swords. Most of the swords I collected resemble the ones I see posted on this forum, however, this one is a bit of a mystery to me. It was given to me by a very good Tuareg friend who was a minister in the government of Niger at the time. He said he procured it in Tamanrasset.

The hilt looks more like what you would see on a North African dagger and the blade is thinner than that of typical takoubas. The double-edged blade appears very strong, is flexible and razor sharp. There are no markings on the blade and its forging appears more refined than most of the local blades I have seen.

Any comments will be appreciated.

[RobT]

Hi Panhead 572,

The markings on the guard are Toureg and so are the marks on the blade forte. The sheath is Toureg and I have seen Toureg daggers with similar hilts/guards. What is the length and width of your blade? It looks like a scaled up version of a Toureg dagger. Toureg sword blades are typically very flexible. There is an online video of Led Zeppelin performing Kashmir in the desert while a pair of Toureg men do a sword dance. While making sweeping cuts with the blade, the palm of the left hand is placed on the flat of the blade as a support.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Panhead572]

The blade starts out at 7/8” wide and tapers slightly towards the end and is about 34” long.

I’ll try to take some pictures of the whole blade tomorrow.

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by Panhead572

The sword starts out at 7/8” wide and tapers slightly towards the end and is about 34” long.

I’ll try to take some pictures of the whole blade tomorrow.

How long is the blade?

[Panhead572]

Pictures of entire sword.

Hilt length = 10 inches (25.4 cm)
Blade length = 34 inches (86.36 cm)
Total length = 44 inches (111.76 cm)

[Panhead572]

Found another one in my collection with a slim blade but traditional Tuareg hilt & scabbard.