View Single Post
Old 26th October 2006, 08:27 PM   #16
fernando
Lead Moderator European Armoury
 
fernando's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,666
Default

Thank you Hrthuma for the help.
I have learnt that some times these inscriptions are made with a strong decoration style, by blade smiths who are not fluent in Arabic, or even non Arab speacking. They do the letters by copying them from another piece, or from a written text. I am glad that you can read the word Allah in it , its already a start. In this case you could also tell me if you find the letters in my pictures in the correct position, or should i rotate them upwards or downwards? Thanks again.
Hi tim, thanks for your remarks.
Nice piece of yours ... indeed similar blade shape and decoration.
If i well understood up to now, the materials and detail work used to make this scabbard , are typical of India ( Hindu or Muslim, i wish i knew ), however with an overall shape to look like an ( Hejazi ) Arab dagger, or janbiyya, in the broad sense of the word ... not much to do with the more often referred janbiyyas from Yemen or Oman, with their peculiar shape .
Same goes for the blade ... if indeed it was forged in India, could have an Indian shape, and probably its decoration was made at same time and local, and also probably with a text destinated to an Arabian client.
It looks like i still have a long way to go, to find or be told something more specific about this weapon, passing by the inscription decoding.
The sure thing is that it costed me lots of fish and ships portions.
Kind regards
fernando
fernando is offline   Reply With Quote