Lew,
Nicely done!! I stand corrected on the scroll motif, and was focusing on the typical blade decoration, I had not noticed those scrolls on the brasswork of the hilts.
The close similarity of this weapon to the straight blade yataghans noted by Ham, and obviously the inevitable variant forms of the traditional flyssa do present a puzzle. I am inclined to rethink the likelihood that this may indeed be an Ottoman weapon from the Maghreb littoral, and plausibly may reflect
a variant or latter example of earlier Ottoman swords present there.
The straight blade form of yataghan with deep bellied blade is known in Turkey as c.1500 with one of the best provenanced examples shown as from Turkish workshops of Bayazid II ("The Age of Suleyman the Magnificent", Intl Cult.Corp.of Australia, 2000, p.64 #50). The profile of the blade is remarkably like that of the flyssa, with of course the familiar collar at the base of the blade.
Apparantly, a very similar sword, with the Ottoman 'karabela' type hilt and the blade with extremely slight curve in back, and the same deep belly profile, again remarkably as those of the flyssa, is shown as from Algerian regions dated 1746. This is shown in "Ethnographic Objects in the Royal Danish Kunsthammer 1650-1800" , National Museet, Copenhagen, 1980, p.84, EMb60a ..and is described as a diplomatic gift to Denmark in 1746, Algiers, from the Ottomans there.
It is stated in Tarussuk & Blair (1979) that an envoy of King Ferdinand VII of Spain was presented a flyssa in 1827, and that the Iflisen tribe of Kabyles had been producing these for some time.
While it does seem unusual that a distinct weapon form can remain indiginous and uninfluenced by other weapon forms without noticeable deviation, it is known in a number of ethnographic circumstances. For example, the takouba of the Tuaregs has always retained its distinct characteristics, and has coexisted in closely congruent regions and tribal groups with the Sudanese kaskara. While both simple crossguarded broadswords, they cannot be confused with one another. The tulwar of India seems to have maintained its presence within the confines of the subcontinent, and to have been used concurrently with swords such as the khanda, and often by the same warrior groups.
It seems that the straight blade 'yataghan' of early Ottoman form was present in the Maghreb at least during the 18th century, and that native armourers, especially those serving the Ottomans, would have produced similar swords. These likely were the influence of those produced by the Iflisen, and it would be great if prototype examples showing such transitional development could be seen.
Best regards,
Jim
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