I would be very interested to see the sword from your colleague. I am also curious about how the original handles on these swords should look. Mine has small pieces of cloth still on the pommel and under the guard. I wonder if the style would have been cloth wrapping then leather braided - perhaps even in a Tebu style, which is also seen on some takouba from this area. 
 
Best, 
 
Iain
		 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
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