Shamshir identification

mariusgmioc · 14th December 2021, 12:59 PM

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I agree with Ian.

In my opinion too, this is not a shamshir but a saif. But since names are rather relative, you can take this as you want.

In my opinion a shamshir has a long, narrow and very deeply curved blade of mostly triangular cross-section.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamshir

Yours has a broader blade with a complex, fullered cross-section and a moderate curvature. I suspect the blade is of European origin (German/Prussian model 1811 Blucher ? or maybe even English pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre ? ).

The hilt is very similar to the classic Persian hilts but not quite...
It may be Persian, but more likely Syrian. The wire wrapping of the hilt is less relevant as it probably has been added later to protect a damaged hilt.

PS: What material are the scales of the hilt made of? From the photos they appear to be resin.

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14th December 2021, 12:59 PM	#3
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,906	Hello and welcome to the forum! I agree with Ian. In my opinion too, this is not a shamshir but a saif. But since names are rather relative, you can take this as you want. In my opinion a shamshir has a long, narrow and very deeply curved blade of mostly triangular cross-section. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamshir Yours has a broader blade with a complex, fullered cross-section and a moderate curvature. I suspect the blade is of European origin (German/Prussian model 1811 Blucher ? or maybe even English pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre ? ). The hilt is very similar to the classic Persian hilts but not quite... It may be Persian, but more likely Syrian. The wire wrapping of the hilt is less relevant as it probably has been added later to protect a damaged hilt. PS: What material are the scales of the hilt made of? From the photos they appear to be resin.