Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

ariel · 21st July 2005, 12:26 AM

The Baybars' sword looks like an early Turkish Kilij or Shamshir, something like 16-19 cen. I cannot recall any 13 cen Islamic sword looking that way.
Perhaps, it was just "attributed" to Baybars, just like the so-called "Swords of the Prophet" were attributed to Mohammed... Everybody loves to have an authentic relic belonging to a famous personality. If one is not available, manufacturing it is a holy duty. I remember reading that Catholic churches around the world have something like 200 teeth of St. Paul...
I think I have already told an old Russian joke about a Soviet museum exhibiting 2 skulls of Comrade Lenin: one at age 7, and another at age 50.
I've heard the same joke from the French (Voltaire), Brits (King Arthur, I think), so the practice is well known.

21st July 2005, 12:26 AM	#23
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	The Baybars' sword looks like an early Turkish Kilij or Shamshir, something like 16-19 cen. I cannot recall any 13 cen Islamic sword looking that way. Perhaps, it was just "attributed" to Baybars, just like the so-called "Swords of the Prophet" were attributed to Mohammed... Everybody loves to have an authentic relic belonging to a famous personality. If one is not available, manufacturing it is a holy duty. I remember reading that Catholic churches around the world have something like 200 teeth of St. Paul... I think I have already told an old Russian joke about a Soviet museum exhibiting 2 skulls of Comrade Lenin: one at age 7, and another at age 50. I've heard the same joke from the French (Voltaire), Brits (King Arthur, I think), so the practice is well known.