View Single Post
Old 27th January 2012, 05:46 PM   #2
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,602
Default

Hi Sergiu,
The top yataghan with the engraved balde looks Balkan to me. The ears, even though a little smaller, and the form and decoration of the bolster and the hilt band are certainly Balkan. I know in her book Astvatsaturian places this type of blade in Eastern Anatolia, but she admits that she does not have any firm evidence for this, and does this based on the niello decoration on the hilts that many of these engraved blades come with. One needs to keep in mind that within the Ottoman Empire there was a considerable trading activity in all kinds of blades, including yataghan blades, which were hilted according to local preferences. It is difficult to guarantee a 100% accuracy of this identification, but I think the first yataghan is Balkan and probably from the Southern or Easterm parts of the peninsula.
The tri-lobate ears on the second one are a style associated with Northern Africa. The simple brass bolster may be later to the blade and perhaps to the hilt as well.
Regards,
Teodor
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote