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Originally Posted by Valjhun
Nice early Yat, Kronckew,
BUT, it is far from beeing a true Montenegro weapon.
Montenegrins in the 19th century used yatagans from the typical Sarajevo form: white, big eared hilt with full of jewels. And another type, known as Serbian (i would say Ortodox), with silver filigran hilts with big square ears, also very adorned. No matter what, the western balcans used big eared yatagans and if they got one from the turks they would rehilte it. A Karakulak is composite word from Kulah=skull and Kara=Black (archaic) and it is a synonym for a yatagan as in the 18th and 19th century the most common material for hilts was black horn.
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Valjhun, I do not speak Turkish, but I am pretty sure "kulak" means ears, and karakulak means simply black years, referring to the form and color of the hilt. Similarly eşekkulak, or doney ears signifies a hilt form, in which the "ears" of the hilt are square instead of round. It would be interesting if this particular form is typical of Serbia, but it makes a lot of sense to be characteristic of Serbia and Greece as there is a huge amount of silver involved with such specimens, and only in an independent country would Christians be able to wear it (and I do not think there is any doubt that silver encased yatagans were meant to be worn, desptie being functional weapons).
As for the Eastern Balkans, ivory hilts were still more popular, but not everyone could afford them, and Christians generally tried to not attract too much attention, especially by displaying expensive and well adorned weapons. Those who did possess yatagans, were usually out of the law anyway - either haiduts or revolutionaries, as Christians were not allowed to carry arms.
Kronckew, your yataghan appears to be of a more simplified type, and I personally do not think it is an early type. To me it appears to date back to the 19th century. Shepherds and other Christians in remote mountain areas needed some form of protection, and they adopted simplified versions of the yatagan that can vary in size and form. Almost all of these had hilts of horn, and hence became known among common folk as "karakulaks". Yours belonged to someone, who was more concerned about functionality rather than appearance, and thus fits the bill. A nice yatagan, congratulations - it may have served a haidut or a revolutionary, which in my eyes as a Bulgarian makes it quite interesting and valuable. I would not place much importance on the fact that the eBay seller you bought it from is from Varna - Miro Bakardjiev is a relatively big dealer (or at least was before the postal ban) of antique edged weapons and he tends to gather them from all over Bulgaria. Pinpointing a geographic area is impossible, but the Balkan mountain is your best guess.
I appologize for this diversion from the topic. Shopping for yatagans can be hard, as they are much sought after and therefor expensive. Since a good example will cost a lot (and they are now non-existant or exorbitantly priced in Bulgaria, and exportation from Bulgaria and Turkey is prohibited), the dealers mentioned towards the top of the thread are perhaps the ebst way to go - you are going to end up spending a large amount of money, so better get it from a reliable seller.
Regards,
Teodor