Unusual Yataghan ... but from where?
 

This is a unique yataghan that I picked up recently. It is certainly not very flashy, but I found the construction very interesting. The typical yataghan style blade has a very plain and smaller than usual steel bolster. The hilt has only rudimentary yataghan "ears" for a pommel. The tang is constructed to be in alignment with the remainder of the hilt. The hilt is layered with a brown horn bolsters, followed by a thin steel one, and then the outer ivory scales, each decorated with silver or alloy nails. The rivets are exposed and undecorated. The scabbard is quite typical with a brass mouth and crude brass chape.

I've not seen a yat quite like this before, especially with a hilt constructed in this manner. I am wondering about its origins. The hilt's construction style reminds me very much of some of the layered hilts we see on Cretan daggers, so I am wondering if there is a connection.

Additional opinions and observations are welcomed.

Dimensions:
Overall length in the scabbard: 29in.
Blade length: 22.25in.

Northwest Frontier/Afghanistan or surrounding area would be my best guess, based on the scabbard and general look of the piece. But it's only a guess.

Nice sword, wherever it may hail from.

For the first time I see such a handle.I definitely think that this yatagan is not in its original form.Probably revamped some time ago.The form of the Afghan yatagans is quite different.

Well maybe the yatagan and the scababard are different. It's the reason why the sword is going inside the scabbard like the khyber knifes. For me it's a Turkish yatagan rehilted as a long hunting knife but probably in the Ottoman empire...

Nice and well made yataghan. I agree it is unusual, but grips with ivory/bone over horn were not unheard of. I would think this may have been done somewhere in the Western Balkans.

Teodor