Takouba with five fullers

Edster · 9th May 2024, 08:52 PM

Here's a section from my Kaskara paper on Fullers. I didn't include the pictured. The five fullered Kaskara is called the Suliman Mukamas.Don't know about anything related to Takoubas.

Quote: Cut & Pasted:
Suliman Mukhammas
• This type has five forged fullers of graduated lengths that extend about a third of the way down the
blade and is not included in Clark’s topology.) Khamsa is the number “five” in Arabic.
This is a rare blade form with only five examples having been revealed so far. Two have a Sun
symbol at the end of the fullers. The sun does not appear to be a maker's mark, but it likely has some
unknown symbolic meaning. The informant called these Suliman Mukhammas abu Shammish.
(Shams is Sun in Arabic, Shammish may be some grammatical variation or I misunderstood the
word.) None of the other examples have apparent maker's marks either. Images of three are linked
below and the fifth has no image.
• My sword has the five grooved Makhummas with a sun at the end. Made circa
1914 in Kassaka. (Figure 16, next page).
• Lew's post on “Makhumas with Sun,” virtually identical to mine.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showp...07&postcount=21
• RDGAC Comments on Kaskara #3 in Post #10 on the below thread that is a war
trophy collected c. 1882 and shown in figs. 17 & 18 on the following page.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11950
• Paolo's sword. See Post #1.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15749
• Clement's sword that is decorated with silver inlays. See Post # 1.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=23098
There was a rich discussion of Five-Fullered blades back in 2012 in which Lew’s and Paolo’s
swords were reviewed. I won’t replough that land too much. However, since then I have looked up
Mukhammas on the web and found on Wikipedia that:
Mukhammas (Arabic ‘fivefold’) refers to a type of Persian or Urdu cinquain or
pentastich with Sufi connections based on a pentameter and have five lines in
each paragraph. More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhammas
Native and Arabic poetry is a feature of Sudanese culture. But who would have thought that a
special Kassala-made sword blade (5 channels are much more difficult to make than 3 fullers)
would have a link to a Persian and Urdu (Muslim part of India) poetry form? There may be a prosaic
explaination. Mukhammas may be just a grammatic feature of Arabic for Five = Khamsa, but I
prefer the poetry connection.
My Mukhumas was reportedly made circa 1914 by a Kassaka smith who supposedy said he saw
another being made and decided to give it a try. The RDGAC example was recovered circa 1882,
almost a generation before mine was made. This suggests that mine was at least a second generation
example of the type. When and how did it originate, and what symbolic or other purpose prompted
its fabrication? These blades were not made for the general market. Who were their clients? End quote.

Ed

francantolin · 10th May 2024, 08:53 AM

Hello,
I've got one with five fullers,
They told me it was a talismanic symbolic sign for number 5: Khemsa like the Fatma hand
+ skill for make the five fullers make the status of the owner higher

francantolin · 10th May 2024, 08:54 AM

Oops,
Edster already told it 👍👍

Iain · 10th May 2024, 08:56 AM

The likely origin of this style, both for kaskara and takouba, lies in the interlinked blade trade from Europe for both sword styles.

In particular schiavona and various backswords often imported blades and could feature 1, 2, 3, 4 etc fullers. These were common and mass imported into the Sahel and no doubt influenced later local styles. In years past I had documented plenty of 4+ fullered blades on takouba, some local some European in origin. Can't recall off the top of my head if there were any 5 fuller European ones I came across.

9th May 2024, 08:52 PM	#1
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 401	Here's a section from my Kaskara paper on Fullers. I didn't include the pictured. The five fullered Kaskara is called the Suliman Mukamas.Don't know about anything related to Takoubas. Quote: Cut & Pasted: Suliman Mukhammas • This type has five forged fullers of graduated lengths that extend about a third of the way down the blade and is not included in Clark’s topology.) Khamsa is the number “five” in Arabic. This is a rare blade form with only five examples having been revealed so far. Two have a Sun symbol at the end of the fullers. The sun does not appear to be a maker's mark, but it likely has some unknown symbolic meaning. The informant called these Suliman Mukhammas abu Shammish. (Shams is Sun in Arabic, Shammish may be some grammatical variation or I misunderstood the word.) None of the other examples have apparent maker's marks either. Images of three are linked below and the fifth has no image. • My sword has the five grooved Makhummas with a sun at the end. Made circa 1914 in Kassaka. (Figure 16, next page). • Lew's post on “Makhumas with Sun,” virtually identical to mine. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showp...07&postcount=21 • RDGAC Comments on Kaskara #3 in Post #10 on the below thread that is a war trophy collected c. 1882 and shown in figs. 17 & 18 on the following page. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11950 • Paolo's sword. See Post #1. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15749 • Clement's sword that is decorated with silver inlays. See Post # 1. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=23098 There was a rich discussion of Five-Fullered blades back in 2012 in which Lew’s and Paolo’s swords were reviewed. I won’t replough that land too much. However, since then I have looked up Mukhammas on the web and found on Wikipedia that: Mukhammas (Arabic ‘fivefold’) refers to a type of Persian or Urdu cinquain or pentastich with Sufi connections based on a pentameter and have five lines in each paragraph. More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhammas Native and Arabic poetry is a feature of Sudanese culture. But who would have thought that a special Kassala-made sword blade (5 channels are much more difficult to make than 3 fullers) would have a link to a Persian and Urdu (Muslim part of India) poetry form? There may be a prosaic explaination. Mukhammas may be just a grammatic feature of Arabic for Five = Khamsa, but I prefer the poetry connection. My Mukhumas was reportedly made circa 1914 by a Kassaka smith who supposedy said he saw another being made and decided to give it a try. The RDGAC example was recovered circa 1882, almost a generation before mine was made. This suggests that mine was at least a second generation example of the type. When and how did it originate, and what symbolic or other purpose prompted its fabrication? These blades were not made for the general market. Who were their clients? End quote. Ed

10th May 2024, 08:53 AM	#2
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 831	Hello, I've got one with five fullers, They told me it was a talismanic symbolic sign for number 5: Khemsa like the Fatma hand + skill for make the five fullers make the status of the owner higher

10th May 2024, 08:54 AM	#3
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 831	Oops, Edster already told it 👍👍

10th May 2024, 08:56 AM	#4
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,682	The likely origin of this style, both for kaskara and takouba, lies in the interlinked blade trade from Europe for both sword styles. In particular schiavona and various backswords often imported blades and could feature 1, 2, 3, 4 etc fullers. These were common and mass imported into the Sahel and no doubt influenced later local styles. In years past I had documented plenty of 4+ fullered blades on takouba, some local some European in origin. Can't recall off the top of my head if there were any 5 fuller European ones I came across.