Yataghan dagger with inscription

[eftihis]

A yataghan dagger with a silver scabbard. I think the dagger is newer than the scabbard, usually silver scabbards of this type do not contain daggers with black horn handles.

[Saracen]

This is a Cretan knife
He is may have horn handles with silver scabbard
On a silver stripe on the hilt (tang band?) zigzag ornament of alternating crescents (or curly vine)?

[kwiatek]

The Turkish inscription says:

Ustası Giridli Selim [1]322

“Its maker, Selim from Crete. [1]322 (1904-5 AD)“

[eftihis]

In old cretan knifes there is NEVER a black horn handle with silver scabbard. A silver scabbard fits only with white handle, either bone or ivory. On the stripe between the handles there are various designs. Thank you very much kwiatek for the translation!

[Saracen]

eftihis, I beg your forgiveness if I caused your irritation.
I understood your first message so that you expected to see a silver hilt with this scabbard, like on bichaq.
And the words "horn" and "ivory" in English, I confuse even with a translator)
Forgive me my English, this is temporary)
The drawing on the strip between the handles interested me precisely on the knife from the message #1.
This is a very interesting authentic Cretan knife.
If this is not a problem, please show this drawing .
And if you show it, then please show the hilts marked in the photo.
By the way, a very beautiful photo.

[eftihis]

Here you are, for the others i am sorry is not possibe at the moment, when i will visit the bank safe next time...

[Jim McDougall]

This is a most interesting look into these daggers of Crete, and while I have never collected or for that matter studied them, I seized this opportunity to learn a little on them.
Always seeking references for my research library, about 20 years ago I saw the title "The Cretan Dagger" ("To Kphtko Maxaipi"), 1993 by Nick Vasilitos. For several years sought the book, but apparently out of print, had no luck until 2003. A friend in Athens located the author there, and there was an EU conference in Crete. The book originally published in Greek, was reprinted with an English booklet summarizing the text, the photos in the full text book had English sub captions. These slipcase encased companion books were intended for the foreign diplomats and dignitaries attending, and fortunately the author had several left and my friend and myself were able to get copies.

In reading through this, I found these daggers had a distinct and colorful history, and as with so many ethnographic edged weapons, were symbolic traditionally and key accoutrements in the arms of the valiant warriors who used them.

As noted previously, the silver scabbards ( =asimomahera) were deemed prestigious weapons worn by the 'kalosiri' (upper echelons), while others with hide covered wood scabbards (scabbard in general=foukaria) were more generally used.

The Cretan dagger seems to have evolved around end of 17th century and well developed with the more familiar V shaped horn grip around end of 18th. The influences of Venetian rule remained nominally while Turkish styling of course took over in the shops in Heraklia (the quarter termed Bitsaxidika) where dagger making prevailed into more recent times.

The decorated center strip (which can be tin, bronze or silver) is highly decorated in variation which includes simpler geometric designs as well. This hilt element separating and securing the grips is termed 'tseberliki'.

It seems the ivory or bone in white color was most broadly favored, while the black grips were more attuned to traditional purposes and often had talismanic and in degree somewhat metaphysical properties imbued.
Clearly I cannot properly address these matters, so I will not go further, but these beliefs and traditions are fascinating and colorful, as are these people themselves.

While the black grips seem to have been inclined to deeper properties inherently, there were other elements added to the 'foukaria' (scabbards) to augment talismanic properties(perhaps) to these daggers overall .
There were chains (usually three) attached which often carried coins(flourakia), red corals (xoblia) or other objects (kremastaria).

In the decoration in the silver scabbards and often tseberliki (hilt strip) there can be crosses (for Christians) or crescents (Muslims).

It would seem that as previously noted, the scabbard in silver was probably mismatched to the dagger later. I am sure that the propriety of having silver scabbards only to white colored hilts has more complexity in accord with these traditions.

I just wanted to add a synopsis of what I discovered in this reference, and welcome corrections to my interpretations of course. I hope this might add some perspective on these intriguing daggers.

[Saracen]

Thank you for the photo, eftihis. I think on your knife is the same motive (not a design, it is various, namely an ornamental motive).
This motive is present on most tseberliki of old Cretan knives, sometimes in very developed and explicit forms, sometimes in simplified and almost unrecognizable forms.
The fact that this motive is so characteristic of Cretan knife seems very interesting to me. I even visited the bank safe

Jim McDougall, thanks for the interesting information from a rare book.

[Ren Ren]

Eftihis, Saracen, thank you for opening your treasures!

[eftihis]

Saracen, here are some more... I am sorry i didnt have a better photo.

[Saracen]

Thanks for the great photo.