Nimcha Blade Markings

[Mehdi]

Hi and a Happy New Year to all.
Please can anyone advise me on the markings of my Moroccan nimcha ?
Thanks very much

[Ian]

Mehdi,

Welcome to the Forum!

Please provide a picture of the complete sword. This is a requirement for a translation request.

Regards,


Ian.

[Mehdi]

Hi Ian and apologies. I hope these are acceptable. Best wishes.

[TVV]

Nice sword, thank you for sharing it with us. The markings, in this exact configuration, are actually fairly common on Moroccan swords from the 19th and early 20th century. I am not sure if they were applied locally, or if they were applied in Solingen, where such blades were produced in large quantities for export to North Africa. Like all other markings, they can probably be traced to markings on European blades from a few centuries earlier. In the 19th century the purpose of the markings was not so much as imitations, but rather as something that by that point would be familiar to locals and associated with quality - a symbol of quality of sorts.

Regards,
Teodor

[Mehdi]

Good morning Teodor and thanks for your help, I thought the ‘circular’ imprint might have been some form of inscription but these marks are to be taken as a whole for reasons as you say. Best wishes.

[Lee]

A very nice nimcha with respectable age! Celestial symbols are frequently found on blades made in Europe for export. The crecent moon symbol on this sword is of a form strongly suggesting European manufacture, but this symbol has since been widely copied on locally produced blades. These marks are frequently found on takouba and kaskara blades.

[Mehdi]

Hi Lee. Thanks very much for your compliments and also for sharing your knowledge with me. Best wishes.