Makers mark on 19th century 'star and comet' Kaskara blade

[Edster]

Jim,

The image of the so-called 1762 Funj sword (fig.6) and my comment from p.7 of my Kaskara Cross-guards paper.

Quote:
Another example of the exaggerated flared lozenge is the Nasir Mohammad Funj-era sword, now in the
Sudanese National Museum in Khartoum. It has been dated to 1762. It has a forged iron sammaniya quillon,
like the Ali Dinar examples, but has a star and comet silver grip cover similar to examples brought back to
England from the 1899 war. The Nasir blade could well be 18th century, but the grip end appears to be much
later (see fig. 6 of the unrestored grip end.) End quote

Here is another image of the sword with bad color>
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...NCAM_KH394.jpg

Plates 2, 3 & 4 of Julie Anderson's article on Forum's Geo. Index show marking details of Nair's sword consistent with 18th C. imported blades

http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/...rson_et_al.pdf

Best,
Ed

[Jim McDougall]

Ed,Thank you so much for this added detail, which brings so much more perspective to this dilemma, The article by Ms.Anderson is comprehensively outstanding, and thoroughly informative as augmented by the many important details extracted from your remarkable work on these topics.

In looking at the 'Funj' sword discussed, as noted it would seem that this is indeed an imported blade, most likely of course German. While many references seem to include Toledo and Italy as sources for blades, this in my opinion is hardly the case. Toledo had only resumed production of blades in the latter 18th century after its demise by the latter 17th and the minor centers in Spain were limited in production. Italy, while still producing blades, again was not exporting in any notable volume.
Solingen, and some other centers in S.Germany and Styria were the more likely blade sources.
In some references the double head eagle device (Austro-Hungarian) is noted on blades, of course along with the 'sickles' which while associated with Solingen, were well known in Styria. It is tempting to wonder if Slatin (the Austrian official in Darfur) might have facilitated importing blades from those sources.

It seems likely that the hilt, notably comparable to others of the Mahdist period, might have been added to an earlier blade as virtually regularly done.

With markings, while typically assumed to be regarded as inherent representations implying quality, it seems to me that in native perspective, these were more ofen seen as talismanic symbols imbuing magic in the blade.

It is known that the Mahdi was seen as possessing great magic, naturally through the religious prism rather in the Sufi sense. In studying the heavily etched blades of the Mahdiyya with thuluth inscriptions, these were often seen as unintelligible decoration, it is now known that these were repeated words and phrases from the Quran, often with invocations. These were meant to imbue the weapon with the Magic of the Mahdi.
This same concept is of course applied to many of these important Islamic swords, as discussed with those of Ali Dinar.

Many of the other interpreted European markings have simpler applied meanings such as the 'fly' used by Kull in Germany. In native parlance, the fly (duran) represented the agility of a warrior (jumps and aversive leaps are key in native swordsmanship).
The cross and orb were seen as drum and sticks, authoritative items in tribal parlance for leaders or officials.

In other cases, it seems when I was going through MacMichael ("Brands Used by Camel Owning Tribes of Kordofan", 1913) there was some reference for the potential of ancient Egyptian heiroglyphics having some iconic link to devices used in brands. Clearly more research there might prove interesting.

The fascination in these topics is compelling!


Correction: I thought is was MacMichael on the camel brands, but it was Arkell, "Tribes of the Sahara".
"...there are cattle brands connected with Darfur's earliest sultans, the Daju, that still survive in Darsila and can only be explained as having been originally Egyptian heiroglyphics". p.236.

This does not seem unlikely as the atavistic styling of a number of ancient forms of weapon and various other elements from Egypt have remained prevalent in Darfur, Sudan and other African kingdoms reflecting the Egyptian roots of many tribes.

Onward!

[jaxonrice]

@geoffrey Congratulations on your great purchases, I was wondering who got the other lots at the auction.

Thank you Ed and Jim for the very useful and insightful discussion, much appreciated indeed

[Oliver Pinchot]

The unusual engraved mark on the kaskara blade pictured is a simplification of the Ottoman tughra. When oriented properly it is quite clear.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Oliver Pinchot

The unusual engraved mark on the kaskara blade pictured is a simplification of the Ottoman tughra. When oriented properly it is quite clear.

Resoundingly observed Oliver!!
It is amazing this has not been notably considered, and not surprising that you would recognize this instantly, so thank you so much for this entry!

This would align with the religious and geo-political circumstances from Libya into Egypt and Sudan in the years just prior to WWI, German and Ottoman intrigue courting the Sanusiyya. This was a conservative Sufi brotherhood of Sunni Islam as I have understood, and there were close alignments with the Ottomans.
The tughra is of course in itself a stylized type of device honorarily assigned to prominent individuals.

It seems that in tribal symbolism, the markings applied to blades have varied significance which apply to power, magic, talismanic imbuement etc.
These 'enigma' marks seem to be likely noting the importance of tughra marks seen on Ottoman items.

Briggs(1965) notes that these 'enigma' marks on blades occurred on the blades of important Tuareg chiefs in Air during the Kaocen Revolt but had been seen in these regions earlier. Ottoman influences and the Senussi brotherhood seem likely inspirations for these stylized representations of tughra. Versions of these are likely to have diffused to the kaskara in Darfur in degree via the Senussi conduit in those pre WWI years.

Thanks again Oliver for this compelling observation, and hope my explanation in accord might be plausible support.

[Oliver Pinchot]

Well explicated, Jim.
The connection is fairly simple-- the dominant Islamic culture in that region for centuries was the Ottoman. As I discussed in On the Persian Shamshir (2001, available here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=20604) , pictograms gradually overtook inscriptions in importance on blades in Islamic cultures. This happened for a variety of reasons: in the case of Persian blades, I showed that lion marks evolved in recognition of an Assad Allah brand (which had more traditionally been inscribed in Arabic characters,) intended for a largely illiterate clientele. With Sudanese blades, however, the adoption (and adaptation) of the tugra to local owners was a simple matter of association with Ottoman authority and thus, power. Incidentally, on the topic of literacy, research would probably show that a large percentage of the Mahdi's followers were literate, certainly among his chiefs/ officers.

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you Oliver!
I well recall that article on the Assad Allah pictogram on the Persian trade blades, which was brilliant and a most important reference in the study of these notable blades.

As noted, these kinds of symbolic devices became well known as seen on many North African swords, especially it seems on kaskara as these swords became most important in status and religious affirmation in Sudan and Darfur in the latter 19th century.

The toughra in this case, rather than being a traditionally appointed device is more of a trope signifying power and authority as noted. The use of other important symbols or markings also use that convention, for example the familiar cross and orb mark from German blades was often seen as a drum and sticks, an important symbol of a chief or tribal leader often copied onto Sudanese blades.

Clearly the importance observed toward these kinds of marks whether Ottoman or European alluded to power and essentially imbued magic into the blade of the sword.

Such symbolism would not require literacy as a symbol is a subjectively understood device which would be recognized to the initiated accordingly, as you have pointed out.

Thank you again very much for responding on this!! and its great talking with you again, its been a minute