A nice Zulfiqar ?

[katana]

Recently ended, not as 'over the top' as the example posted recently, but IMHO a good sword. Are these more common than I realised, are Zulfiqars prone to being made as copies/replica's?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6636963827&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Is the design purely symbollic? A 'badge' of status?

[S.Al-Anizi]

Thulfiqars were copied by many smiths, Sudanese, Indian, Persian and a few Turkish ones too. Personally, I do not like them, they're fantasy.

[Valjhun]

Thatone is particularly ugly and nonfunctional. 19th century I guess.

The more I see them the more I think that they are status symbols or commanding swords.