old blade on takouba ?

Jim McDougall · 31st October 2020, 12:21 AM

Indeed a kaskara of the Sudan, and it has always been interesting that these broadsword 'cousins' of North Africa have maintained their own autonomy in design while in many cases the smiths producing them, and often the blade sources were in degree shared in the intertribal connections and trade.

Many markings etc. are found on both takouba and kaskara in variation and degree, and genuine European blades seem to occur of course in both.

I would suggest that this blade was perhaps produced in either Khartoum or Omdurman around 1885, after the fall of Khartoum. Gordon had vast stores of machinery and metal in the workshops there for the infrastructure of railroads and river boats. This virtual scrap yard was supply for production of many necessities including blades.

The 'Passau wolf' seems of course a copy of the genuine ones seen on the blades coming into Sudan through Suakin and other ports. It's execution and placement seems contrary to what is normally the case with these.

The rust spotting in the blade seems more in line with 'industrial' metal if I am thinking correctly , reminding me of galvinized metal.....but I fear my inadequacy in metallurgy is showing.

It just seems many of the knives and blades of Sudanese examples of this period into 20th c. have this kind of effect on the blades.

31st October 2020, 12:21 AM	#7
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Indeed a kaskara of the Sudan, and it has always been interesting that these broadsword 'cousins' of North Africa have maintained their own autonomy in design while in many cases the smiths producing them, and often the blade sources were in degree shared in the intertribal connections and trade. Many markings etc. are found on both takouba and kaskara in variation and degree, and genuine European blades seem to occur of course in both. I would suggest that this blade was perhaps produced in either Khartoum or Omdurman around 1885, after the fall of Khartoum. Gordon had vast stores of machinery and metal in the workshops there for the infrastructure of railroads and river boats. This virtual scrap yard was supply for production of many necessities including blades. The 'Passau wolf' seems of course a copy of the genuine ones seen on the blades coming into Sudan through Suakin and other ports. It's execution and placement seems contrary to what is normally the case with these. The rust spotting in the blade seems more in line with 'industrial' metal if I am thinking correctly , reminding me of galvinized metal.....but I fear my inadequacy in metallurgy is showing. It just seems many of the knives and blades of Sudanese examples of this period into 20th c. have this kind of effect on the blades.