Yataghan research beginning

[Ann Feuerbach]

Hi everyone, I just returned from a symposium on Yataghans, in Turkey. We are intending to begin some serious research on the topic which will include the place, the people and the products because they are intimately intertwined. We are also intending to publish the 1st Symposium Proceedings in the future and I will let you know when it is.

Some history...the people from Yataghan came from Central Asia, Ferghana Valley Uzbekistan about 800 years ago. There is good documentary evidence of this. Legend says that the type of blade, a Yataghan (pronounced locally as Ya-tan), was first made by a blacksmith from the village. There are still many working blacksmiths in the village of about 3,500 people. Obviously yataghans were also made in many other locations so this will not be limited to Turkey, but the style of blade. Ideally, with funding, we will create a database of yataghans to help identify chronology, types, production centers etc.

I have set up a Facebook page and invite you to join the discussions. The page is a bit sparse now, but it is just the beginning. Hope to see you there! Yataghan Facebook page
All the best,
Ann

[ariel]

Dear Ann,
This is long overdue!
Yataghans are fascinating weapons with very little documented information behind them, We do not even know what was the reason for their popularity in the Ottoman Empire or the style of fighting with them. The oldest known yataghans ( Topkapi, Met) bear very tenuous resemblance to the classic form, the origin of their distinctive eared handle is obscure, the connection ( if any!) with Afgani Salawar Yataghans or Central Asian ( Bukhara Khanate, Afghanistan) "pseudo-shashkas" is totally unknown.
This is an incredibly important chapter in the study of bladed weapons, and up until now it was limited just to the description of museum collections without any unified theory behind it.
It is a high time for the professionals in the field to join hands in an attempt to figure out what is going on with this fascinating weapon.

I am sure that whatever help you might need, the Forumites will be only happy to provide.

Best of luck to you and your colleagues!

[Ann Feuerbach]

Thanks so much for your enthusiasm. The symposium was fascinating. We had scholars looking into the history and function of the shape and handle. Unfortunately for me it was in Turkish but I still learned a great deal from the pictures. The proceedings will be in English! I will keep everyone updated.

[Battara]

How wonderful! I love the things. Would be happier if the one I had weren't stolen, but still love them.

Good luck to you. Your research and insights have been a great help to all of us collectors here at this little forum (and for all those who lurk).

[TVV]

I am afraid that I still take Turkish research, which is extremely biased, with a grain of salt. The blade form existed in the Balkans and the Mediterranean since antiquity, it does not exist in Central Asia at all, and yet we are to believe that 800 years ago a group of Turkmens moved to Asia Minor and "invented" the weapon. Not credible, sorry.

Teodor

[ariel]

Well, this is a very strong argument and I see a lot of truth in it.. Hopefully, this time around people might put aside their biases, listen to each other and , - jointly,- reach an historically- justifiable conclusion.

As an aside: quite a lot of Afghani Salawar Yataghans have incurved blades. Whether this is a long-standing local tradition or an externally- adopted feature ( there were quite a lot of Ottoman mercenaries in the area) is an interesting question. The same applies to Afghani/Bukharan eared handles.

As I said, we know precious little about the Turkmen/ Ottoman connections, and focussed research efforts are to be saluted.

[Timo Nieminen]

Originally Posted by ariel

As an aside: quite a lot of Afghani Salawar Yataghans have incurved blades. Whether this is a long-standing local tradition or an externally- adopted feature ( there were quite a lot of Ottoman mercenaries in the area) is an interesting question. The same applies to Afghani/Bukharan eared handles.

There's an old history of forward-curved blades in India, well back into the 1st millenium IIRC from Rawson. Some say these are copied from forward-curved Greek swords, courtesy of the Alexandrian conquests, but they are quite plausibly locally developed. Then we have the Central Asian Greek kingdoms (e.g., Bactria), but there is the question of continuity. In any case, we have forward curved bronze knives through much of Central Asia.

So it's hard to find conclusive evidence about who influenced whom. (But, alas, easy to find information to support any single point of view.)

[ariel]

+100

[Emanuel]

Hi Dr. Ann,

Just wondering if there is an update to this work.

Best regards,
Emanuel

[ariel]

I went to the page and the last visit there was in July 2015....
I guess yataghans still defy scientific efforts and historical incursions:-)

[Ann Feuerbach]

Yes. It is all still a go. Waiting for the publication. I contacted them a few months ago and I think it is with the printers. New research is also continuing but so it life and other projects.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hi Ann,

It will be most interesting to see what you find out:-).

Jens

[Battara]

Oh boy, Oh boy!!!!