hi aqtai,
the topkapi swords are a great example of judging by comparison, as apposed to inscription. i can find out more about ricks sword, given time as i would love to know who attributed the date and on what basis. its easy to judge casually, but i am sure the statement was not made lightly.
btw, a good friend got into the basement of the museum in cairo (by invitation, not a window :-) and he said there were boxes, unopened for generations. a casual browse found a crate of ottoman 'turban' helmets, long forgotten about. it makes you wonder what else lurks in the darkened corners of such places.
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