I was under the impression that most of the saif with the ring on the hilt like this came from near Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar. So if this is from Ethiopia it would be an interesting find. I want to say I have seen similar markings on a gurade ( and Gurade is the amharic word for sword ) I will look and see if I can find it again.
Maybe Mark or Jim will chime in on this, in another place Mark stated this about ethiopian blades
Quote:
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There has been extensive trading for centuries across the Red Sea between Ethiopia & Eritrea (and the various small kingdoms that preceeded them), and the Arabian peninsula. The highland tribes of Ethiopia (such as the dominant Amhara, the Tigrinia and the Gurage) and coastal tribes such as the Danakil, the Afar and the Issa, are in fact Semitic peoples, indicating close ties with Arabia. It is not unlikely that a blade could make its way to the southern peninsula, perhaps via the port of Djibouti which is directly opposite, there to be re-fitted.
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Isnt amharic also spoken in Eritrea ?
And I have been told there are Jambiya with Jewish blades so it would not be out of the realm of posibilities for there to be a Jewish blade in a saif