Hmmm now that I've started thinking about the flyssa again, I wonder at the peculiar bolster construction. The octogonal bit, which is actually not a bolster at all, but a continuation of the blade, is not seen on Caucasian sabres I believe, and certainly not on the Circassian sabres posted by Ariel. The yataghan does not have this feature either, always having the tang sandwitched between two scales.
The only weapons that come to mind that do have this strange feature are Indonesian - particularly the Acehnese rencong. It's weird, as it does not bolster the blade and it is not a tang...only a prelude to one. So I'll merrily hang on to this point to champion the independent development of the Flyssa
No other weapon in the Maghrib has this octogonal part, and no other Ottoman or even Islamic weapons in the west and near east have it either, except the khodme, which has a small one. What is the reason for its presence if the flyssa was adapted from the yataghan or the Circassian sabre? I would think that there is a precedent somewhere in berber history for this feature. I have another thought, but it's way too radical to mention right now
Any thoughts?