Yemeni (?) Sword for ID and Comments

TVV · 29th December 2018, 11:14 PM

I am not 100% sure where this sword is from. It has a double edged blade of approximately 31 inches in length with a wide fuller in the middle and two narrow fullers running parallel to it on its sides. The hilt and scabbard mouth are of some kind of alloy, not sure what exactly. The scabbard is wooden core, covered with a black leather, underneath which there is also a layer of cloth. There are traces of markings on one side of the forte just underneath the fuller, probably some kind of foliate decoration.

My guess is that this was probably assembled in Yemen, most likely sometime in the 20th century. The hilt similar to jambiya hilts, and the blade with its fuller configuration has similarities to two Yemeni swords with older hilts in posts 16 and 26 of this thread:

http://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7895

I can imagine a scenario where the old hilt was lost or simply taken off to be melted for its silver content, and new fittings were fashioned. But of this is just speculation of course, and I look forward to reading your opinion on this sword origin.

Teodor

kahnjar1 · 2nd January 2019, 11:56 PM

Hi Teodor,
If not Yemeni it is very likely North African. The circle decoration is quite common in that region. The blade is probably of European origin. If you can clean up the area on the blade where the decoration is, you may be able to get a clearer picture.
Stu

ariel · 3rd January 2019, 02:49 AM

The blade looks kaskara-ish to me.

Similar blades served faithfully as genuine articles for European fakers of old crusaders swords. Why not as imitations of pre-islamic Arabian or Mamluk?

TVV · 3rd January 2019, 07:33 AM

Stu, thank you for your comment. North African is an interesting possibility. I honestly could not find many examples of North African arms with circle decoration - the motives tend to be mostly zig-zag or triangular, which according to Spring has the symbolic purpose of warding off the evil eye. That being said, I did find a Tunisian sword with a circle and dot decoration on the hilt (not sure of the image source, I believe it was some auction), as well as one sboula from Wolfgang's site. it is also appearing on Tunisian khanjars, as shown by Kubur and one sold by Oriental Arms. The circle and circle and dot tend to be shared among a lot of regions and cultures, so it is hard to base origin just on that. I am not discounting a North African possibility, just need to collect more evidence.

Ariel has a point too: this could be a one off example made for who knows what purpose. It may well have been meant as a souvenir to be sold to tourists, which is usually the most likely explanation for unusual examples.

Teodor

colin henshaw · 3rd January 2019, 08:12 AM

The profile of the hilt certainly reminds me of jambiya/khanjar hilts from Arabia. Could it be a bedouin sword of some sort ?

kahnjar1 · 3rd January 2019, 08:24 AM

Also on (particularly) Moroccan powder flasks........ The "circle and dot" is not of course just found in North Africa but also on Turkish and Balkan arms, though I doubt your sword is of high enough quality to have originated there.
Stu

Kubur · 3rd January 2019, 11:10 AM

The hilt and scabbard are very yemeni to me.
BUT as said previously it might be some bedouin thing, Arabia or Sinai?
The recent nails are ugly, what about the other side of the hilt?
If i was you I will clean the hilt and the brass shape of the scabbard to check if they are the same style, then you'll know if it was rehilted recently or not.

TVV · 4th January 2019, 01:58 AM

Thank you for the additional responses. Yes, a rough, rural bedouin dress is a possibility. I believe the hilt, which is made of two parts soldered together and the scabbard chape are from the same alloy (possibly the same sheet of metal): I will try to take a better picture of them next to each other over the weekend. There could be a wooden core inside the hilt, hard to tell.

The rivets go through on both sides and, aesthetics aside, hold the blade to the hilt pretty well without any movement.

29th December 2018, 11:14 PM	#1
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,625	Yemeni (?) Sword for ID and Comments I am not 100% sure where this sword is from. It has a double edged blade of approximately 31 inches in length with a wide fuller in the middle and two narrow fullers running parallel to it on its sides. The hilt and scabbard mouth are of some kind of alloy, not sure what exactly. The scabbard is wooden core, covered with a black leather, underneath which there is also a layer of cloth. There are traces of markings on one side of the forte just underneath the fuller, probably some kind of foliate decoration. My guess is that this was probably assembled in Yemen, most likely sometime in the 20th century. The hilt similar to jambiya hilts, and the blade with its fuller configuration has similarities to two Yemeni swords with older hilts in posts 16 and 26 of this thread: http://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7895 I can imagine a scenario where the old hilt was lost or simply taken off to be melted for its silver content, and new fittings were fashioned. But of this is just speculation of course, and I look forward to reading your opinion on this sword origin. Teodor Attached Images

3rd January 2019, 07:33 AM	#4
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,625	Stu, thank you for your comment. North African is an interesting possibility. I honestly could not find many examples of North African arms with circle decoration - the motives tend to be mostly zig-zag or triangular, which according to Spring has the symbolic purpose of warding off the evil eye. That being said, I did find a Tunisian sword with a circle and dot decoration on the hilt (not sure of the image source, I believe it was some auction), as well as one sboula from Wolfgang's site. it is also appearing on Tunisian khanjars, as shown by Kubur and one sold by Oriental Arms. The circle and circle and dot tend to be shared among a lot of regions and cultures, so it is hard to base origin just on that. I am not discounting a North African possibility, just need to collect more evidence. Ariel has a point too: this could be a one off example made for who knows what purpose. It may well have been meant as a souvenir to be sold to tourists, which is usually the most likely explanation for unusual examples. Teodor Attached Images

3rd January 2019, 08:24 AM	#6
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,741	Also on (particularly) Moroccan powder flasks........ The "circle and dot" is not of course just found in North Africa but also on Turkish and Balkan arms, though I doubt your sword is of high enough quality to have originated there. Stu Attached Images

2nd January 2019, 11:56 PM	#2
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,741	Hi Teodor, If not Yemeni it is very likely North African. The circle decoration is quite common in that region. The blade is probably of European origin. If you can clean up the area on the blade where the decoration is, you may be able to get a clearer picture. Stu

3rd January 2019, 02:49 AM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	The blade looks kaskara-ish to me. Similar blades served faithfully as genuine articles for European fakers of old crusaders swords. Why not as imitations of pre-islamic Arabian or Mamluk?

3rd January 2019, 08:12 AM	#5
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,430	The profile of the hilt certainly reminds me of jambiya/khanjar hilts from Arabia. Could it be a bedouin sword of some sort ?

3rd January 2019, 11:10 AM	#7
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	The hilt and scabbard are very yemeni to me. BUT as said previously it might be some bedouin thing, Arabia or Sinai? The recent nails are ugly, what about the other side of the hilt? If i was you I will clean the hilt and the brass shape of the scabbard to check if they are the same style, then you'll know if it was rehilted recently or not.

4th January 2019, 01:58 AM	#8
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,625	Thank you for the additional responses. Yes, a rough, rural bedouin dress is a possibility. I believe the hilt, which is made of two parts soldered together and the scabbard chape are from the same alloy (possibly the same sheet of metal): I will try to take a better picture of them next to each other over the weekend. There could be a wooden core inside the hilt, hard to tell. The rivets go through on both sides and, aesthetics aside, hold the blade to the hilt pretty well without any movement.