Shamshir: Turkish or Syrian?

ariel · 19th March 2006, 03:11 PM

Again, a picture from the catalogue of the Belgrade Military Museum.
It is a saber identified as Turkish.
Look carefully: the handle is of typical Syrian configuration, with a down-turned pommel and a wire-wrapped upper langet.
It is signed " Master Mehmet. Owner Abdul Karim the Antiochian". This is slightly strange, because such inscriptions were usually put on Yataghans: those were mainly private purchase weapons, unlike swords that were usually labelled only with the master's name. What it means, is that Mr. Abdul Karim wanted a very well defined weapon. But, be it as it may, we find ourselves in the middle of an unending international conflict

: Antiochia or Antakia was a part of the Ottoman Empire and is now a part of modern Turkey, but the Syrians claim ownership too. It was taken away from Syria by the French in 1938 and given to Turkey in 1939. It was a capital of the Republic of Hatay (remember Indiana Jones? That's where, near Alexandretta or Iskenderun, he found the Holy Grail, even though the featured temple was, in fact, Petra, in Jordan. Artistic license, I guess...).
So, Ottoman Empire or not, but Antiochians (at least the venerable Abdul Karim) liked their sabers made in a specific, Syrian style

19th March 2006, 03:11 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Shamshir: Turkish or Syrian? Again, a picture from the catalogue of the Belgrade Military Museum. It is a saber identified as Turkish. Look carefully: the handle is of typical Syrian configuration, with a down-turned pommel and a wire-wrapped upper langet. It is signed " Master Mehmet. Owner Abdul Karim the Antiochian". This is slightly strange, because such inscriptions were usually put on Yataghans: those were mainly private purchase weapons, unlike swords that were usually labelled only with the master's name. What it means, is that Mr. Abdul Karim wanted a very well defined weapon. But, be it as it may, we find ourselves in the middle of an unending international conflict : Antiochia or Antakia was a part of the Ottoman Empire and is now a part of modern Turkey, but the Syrians claim ownership too. It was taken away from Syria by the French in 1938 and given to Turkey in 1939. It was a capital of the Republic of Hatay (remember Indiana Jones? That's where, near Alexandretta or Iskenderun, he found the Holy Grail, even though the featured temple was, in fact, Petra, in Jordan. Artistic license, I guess...). So, Ottoman Empire or not, but Antiochians (at least the venerable Abdul Karim) liked their sabers made in a specific, Syrian style Attached Images