[TVV]

This is my latest acquisition, but what do we have here?
The blade looks like European made for the Abyssinian market. It is marked with the familiar Lion of Judah on one side, and with MK on the other. Unfortunately the picture of that marking did not come out well, but the MK is in a circle, and both the MK and the circle are finely engraved, most certainly not by hand. Around the circle someone crudely engraved a six-pointed star, perhaps in an attempt to imitate a Wikinson proof mark. Is anyone familiar with the MK mark? I could not find it in a book I have on German markings.
The hilt is of poor quality, with the knuckle bar missing. The shape is associated with Zanzibar, once part of the Sultanate of Oman, and an important trading port. For some reason Elgood has not included this particular hilt shape in his book on Arab arms. In an older thread, I read someone mentioning that hilts of this type are being currently produced in Yemen and married to all kinds of blades.
For what it's worth, I purchased the sword on eBay and the seller was located in Saudi Arabia, not far from Riyadh, and I still remember Saqr's pictures of swords in the Riyadh bazaar.
This is what I liked about the sword despite the recent (certainly newer than the blade), damaged hilt - it seems to be made of a variety of components, some of which must have travelled a lot. However, I know very little about both the blade and the hilt, and would appreciate any and all comments.
Regards,
Teodor