Are these historical swords or tourist traps?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Ian

Is the blade mark on the example without a scabbard meant to be a tughra?

Sure looks like one,as far as I know nobody put these on souvenir 'weapons'.
These kinds of weapons (Burton, 1884) are the types that became fancifully interpreted as the nebulous 'scimitar' of Victorian romanticism, which of course also prevailed in France (as noted by Ausjulius).The French were intrigued by 'exotic' flair and added colorful units such as pandours, zouaves etc. into their military, and officers favored their weapons...which brought about the notable 'mameluke' sabers, which came from the Egyptian campaigns c. 1800. It does not seem unreasonable that the French officers would wear serviceable weapons as seen with native people in their colonies.

The inverted clip point was IMO part of the widened point which was primarily to add weight to the energy of the cut, and became well known with many machete forms (many seen in the Cuban 'guanabacoa').