Thanks for the pics. They clearly show examples of Algerean “yataghans” from Iflissen in their varieties and support the notion that they are very distinct from Balkan karakulaks ( ot Ak-kulaks if the handle was made from a light material, as in case of Rumpel9’s example).
There is a short but nice segment in Elgood’s Balkan book about magic properties of black handles, as opposed to any other variety.
Sword and knife making was the one of the main occupations of the Iflissen el-Bahr, or in French rendition Flissa-sur- mer.
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