Algerian? Maroccan? dagger
 

I received this piece last week.
The inscription on the blade are curious. Arabic number but gregorian calendar (1883). The other inscription seems to be more strange, i don't recognise the alphabet.
Any enlightenment welcomed.

http://i64.servimg.com/u/f64/11/44/08/82/maroc310.jpg

http://i64.servimg.com/u/f64/11/44/08/82/maroc210.jpg

http://i64.servimg.com/u/f64/11/44/08/82/maroc110.jpg

http://i64.servimg.com/u/f64/11/44/08/82/maroc410.jpg

http://i64.servimg.com/u/f64/11/44/08/82/maroc510.jpg

Thanks

Algerian in my humble opinion. Looks better than most I have seen.
Regards Stuart

The date is 1883.
Gregorian date using Arabic numerals? Or, is it 1883 H, ie 2448 Gregorian?

Christian kabyl or copte perhaps?

A Moroccan "wedding nimcha". Sometimes they have the smaller flyssa blades that were produced after the mid-19th century for "travellers".

The flyssa blades may have been produced by Kabyles at first, and then copied - with quality suffering greatly in my opinion - around Algeria and Morocco.

The handle is based on the Moroccan nimcha, so I'm further inclined to say this is a Moroccan piece.

This one is still far better than the "new" ones with blades stamped out of sheet metal.

Cheers,
Emanuel

I agree with you Manolo. This though is a very finely made example excellent materials and workmanship.

Lew

Copte ?
no way,
because Copte are from East Africa, e.i. ; Egypt, Sudan, and even Ethiopia :p

if Kabyl was, and are, for some of them, Christians, they aren't Coptic :shrug:

also, in Islamic countries, specially about Egypt, the Christians (none military) wasn't allowed to carry weapons

in our case, I thing about a Berber short sword, mixup between; "flissa" and "nimcha" as well as mentionned Manolo, and Louis

à +

Dom